The entire city will be a port, says Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson

Gary considers activating a port authority

Contributed By:The 411 News

Not just a port at Buffington Harbor, but the entire city will be a port, Gary’s economic development director Bo Kemp explained to the city council finance committee at their Tuesday, July 25th meeting.

Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson announced the city is pursuing the activation of a Gary Port Authority and has appointed 5 members to oversee it. The port won’t require new legislation, the mayor said, since the ordinance for the port authority has existed since 1982.

Kemp said it won’t be a traditional port that depends on year-round shipping “… because our weather conditions aren’t conducive to those kinds of operations.” What the city does have, he said, are vacant and empty lands to hold the logistics terminals and warehouses that a port needs.


Bo Kemp, Gary economic development director

Kemp pointed to the Carmeuse Lime and Stone plant in Buffington Harbor. “Carmeuse came to Indiana because of that port,” he said. At its facility, Carmeuse stores tons of limestone and other ores it processes for the steel, utilities, and construction industries.

The majority of the materials at Carmeuse are delivered on barges, Kemp said, a cheaper mode of transportation than rail. That is the business model the city is positioning for expansion. It wants to attract development that provides components for the construction industry; not to attract goods already manufactured.

Kemp said, “Ports located in cities have been a tremendous revenue source for cities through [property] tax revenue alone.”

Mayor Freeman-Wilson identified Gary City Councilman Ron Brewer, Lake County Commissioner Kyle Allen, Delta Walker, Ken Stalling, and Michael Chirich as port authority members.

Authority member duties include port governance and they will oversee development, construction and operations of port-related facilities; as well, as subsequent agreements and revenues.

Story Posted:08/02/2017