EAST CHICAGO | A Munster consulting firm hired by the city last month for development assistance will provide expanded services through a second contract awarded this week.
The Board of Public Works tapped Short Elliot Hendrickson on July 25 to help with applications for lakefront improvement funding through the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.
That agreement was worth $10,000, and the works board Monday approved another $20,000 for "professional services" from SEH.
The scope of services in the new contract is "much more broad," said Kathy Brown, the city's planning and development consultant.
In its expanded role, SEH will provide engineering and design services, Brown said, including project assessments and "return-on-investment analyses for multiple projects."
SEH has partnered with other communities on RDA-related improvements, including Hammond and Whiting, which have benefited from nearly $75 million in lakefront redevelopment work through the RDA.
The firm has already assisted the city with a lease agreement for 10 lakefront acres along Aldis Avenue owned by ArcelorMittal Steel for public access to Lake Michigan, City Attorney Carla Morgans said.
Specifics of the "multiple projects" on which SEH would be assisting the city were not available Monday.
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