HAMMOND | Marina boat slips lost to the expansion of Horseshoe Casino have found a new home just a mile to the south on Wolf Lake.
The recycled docks near the Sheffield Avenue entrance at the southern end of Wolf Lake Memorial Park were unveiled on Monday, and mark the return of full-season public boat parking on the 900-acre lake after an absence of more than 40 years.
Park Board and Port Authority directors came up with the plan for a 22-slip "mini-marina" on Wolf Lake after space on Lake Michigan for the docks was lost to accommodate Horseshoe's new 350,000-square-foot gambling facility.
"This should show everyone that things can be done within budget, in the spirit of cooperation, and safely," said Marina Director Milan Kruszynski.
Engineered Constructors Inc., of Hammond, moved the wooden docks by crane and flat-bed truck in August from the parking lot of the 1,000-slip Hammond Marina, which was closed this season while Horseshoe completes its $485 million expansion.
If built from scratch, the Wolf Lake facility would have easily cost more than a quarter-million dollars, Kruszynski said. By re-using existing materials, the new mini-marina came in at just $61,000, he said.
Though the Port Authority has not yet determined slip rental fees on Wolf Lake for next year, Kruszynski said they would likely be in the range of $750 for the season.
"This is only phase one," said Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. "We've already seen millions of dollars in improvements to Wolf Lake, and there is more to come."
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to announce this week the completion of its two-year, $5.9 million Wolf Lake environmental restoration project, which sought to return much of the lake's wildlife habitats to their pre-industrial state.
"The environment is better, the water is cleaner, and Wolf Lake is good for recreational use," Kruszynski said.
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Wolf Lake gets 'mini-marina'
