Chicago Bears have had ‘minimal’ talks with Illinois legislators as stadium focus remains on Hammond – Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bears have had ‘minimal’ talks with Illinois legislators as stadium focus remains on Hammond  Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Bears have had "minimal" discussions this summer with Illinois lawmakers as the team zeroes in on two potential stadium sites in northwest Indiana. The Chicago Bears have had “minimal” discussions with Illinois legislators since the NFL franchise voted in June to focus its stadium efforts on northwest Indiana. Bears Chairman George McCaskey and President/CEO Kevin Warren reiterated Thursday during a news conference at Halas Hall that the team remains focused on building a stadium over state line in Hammond. Those efforts have zeroed in on two sites: the Lost Marsh Golf Course and the Wolf Lake Terminals. Warren said due diligence has been completed on the Lost Marsh location and that it is viable for construction, while the process is ongoing at nearby Wolf Lake.

A merger of the two sites also is possible, Warren said. The team’s due diligence on the sites includes topographical, geological and environmental analysis of the land, Warren said, as well as putting together a “capital stack” to finance the $2 billion the team has proposed to help build the stadium and a surrounding multi-use development. Both Warren and McCaskey used the word “minimal” to describe ongoing communications with Illinois lawmakers this summer. “I don’t know why it hit a dead end in Springfield,” Warren said. “But we’ve been very clear the last