HAMMOND | Construction of a new downtown charter school soon should be under way after a pair of final approvals were granted this week.
The nonprofit Hammond Urban Academy Inc. plans to build the $15 million facility at the intersection of Muenich Court and Ann Avenue. The group earned a favorable ruling for the location from the Hammond Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, the Hammond Board of Public Works and Safety approved vacating parts of the two streets and an adjacent alley for the school, which will be known as the Hammond Academy of Science and Technology.
Operators of the charter school expect the building will be completed before the end of December next year, said Tom Dabertin, Hammond Urban Academy Inc. secretary.
The academy is scheduled to open with 320 students in grades six through nine in August and expand to 550 students through grade 12 by 2013.
Highland attorney Michael Muenich -- whose ancestor was honored by the creation of Muenich Court more than a century ago -- said Wednesday the school "will be a fine attribute to downtown." Plans for the facility, which will face the south, provide for parents to drop off their children on Muenich Court, then drive south on Ann Avenue to Russell Street for a return to Hohman Avenue.
Though the academy design currently includes only 56 parking spaces, Dabertin said the board is in discussions with the Redevelopment Commission and owners of adjacent properties to add more parking as students get older and some drive themselves to school.
Owana Miller, city community development director and Hammond Urban Academy Inc. board member, said interest in the school has been strong, with 270 applications for enrollment already received and more coming in every day.
A lottery is scheduled for Dec. 16 at the downtown federal courthouse for standby spots in those classes, which have reached the 80-student maximum for next year.
The city's Economic Development Commission is scheduled to have a public hearing Dec. 14 regarding the sale of $15 million in bonds to finance construction of the academy, which the Hammond Urban Academy then will pay back.
