Chicago Bears advance Hammond stadium exploration with new soil testing

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Bears have taken another step toward a possible stadium project in Hammond, Indiana, confirming over the weekend that they began soil testing on a new plot of land near Wolf Lake.

The move comes as the team continues to wait for Illinois lawmakers to craft a stadium deal for land the Bears already own in Arlington Heights.

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Drilling equipment was brought in to collect soil samples in an industrial area west of the Skyway in Hammond, according to the team. The Times of Northwest Indiana published photos showing a drilling rig staged in the parking lot of Wolf Lake Terminals. It is one of three sites the Bears are evaluating in Hammond, though the team has not said where a stadium might be located.

Sports consultant Marc Ganis said, "These are exactly the steps I would expect the bears to take in pursuing moving to Hammond, Indiana. These are ordinary. These are exactly the kinds of things you do. They're level one, level two, level three environmental, as they're called."

In a statement, the Bears said, "We have an excellent option already in place and continue to assess additional parcels of land in the Wolf Lake region to ensure we place the stadium and mixed-use district in the very best location to serve all of Chicagoland."

The area north of the industrial zone includes protected wetlands along Wolf Lake that cannot be developed. To the south is land used by the Defense Logistics Agency, and it is unclear whether that property could become available.

Ganis said, "Part of what I'm sure they're doing is doing a full land use analysis with options done by professionals," adding, "so that they know where they're going to, they have an ability to develop and where they are going to have to leave things as generally as they are."

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said he still expects an update from the Bears, noting, "They highlighted that they're focusing on the Hammond site, and similar to what we were doing leading up to that point, there's communication with them once or twice a week."

He added, "There's nothing that speeds it up to where we'll hear in a week or two. We just don't think it'll be a long belabored process."

Meanwhile, Illinois state Sen. Bill Cunningham said there are no new legislative developments that would enable the Bears to build a stadium in Arlington Heights.

Ganis said, "What this requires is the governor, the speaker, and the Senate president to come together, coalesce around a single plan, and then if they have that, they go to the Bears, but until then, there's absolutely nothing for the Bears to discuss."

Ganis suggested the Bears could finish their Hammond site evaluations within months, and legislation could be finalized to authorize the taxes needed for a stadium project there.