Recently received nearly 4-year-old documents allege Calumet Township paid Gary Common Council President Tai Adkins’ company tens of thousands of dollars for a project that city leadership and parks department didn’t know about.
Adkins, D-4th, owns ARC Group Contractors, a company that was paid $38,400, according to a nonemployee compensation form sent to the Post-Tribune.
The company received 12 payments of $3,200 once a month from April 2021 to March 2022, according to transaction documents.
ARC Group Contractors was hired to support and implement park initiatives, according to a client consent agreement between Calumet Township and the company.
In an email to the Post-Tribune Friday, Adkins said the company was not hired for a “park project.” ARC Group Contractors were hired to identify a possible recreation project and identified various avenues and stakeholders, she added.
The business identified a community-based recreation and community play center from ClearSpan as a possible solution, but Adkins said it was deemed not viable.
Ex-Calumet Township Trustee Kim Robinson hired Adkins’ company, and former Gary Deputy Mayor Trent McCain alleges the two were friends.
On Dec. 23, Robinson pleaded guilty in Hammond’s U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud, which can carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Federal prosecutors alleged she used $11,200 in township funds to pay rent.
As part of her plea deal, Robinson resigned as trustee and chairperson for the Democratic Precincts of Gary. If her deal is accepted, she will serve one year of probation and have to repay $11,200, plus an $8,700 fine, according to Post-Tribune archives.
Adkins is one of multiple candidates who have expressed interest in the Calumet Township trustee position. A caucus will be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Calumet Township Multipurpose Center, 1900 W. 41st Ave. in Gary.
Marianetta Barber, interim parks director, didn’t know about ARC Group Contractors’ project at the time, McCain said. Barber didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
“The township trustee’s office doesn’t have anything to do with parks,” McCain said. “They just don’t. It’s under the auspices of the city of Gary, and the parks department. … It’s never made any sense how she was getting paid by the trustee’s office to consult regarding parks.”
ARC Group Contractors had preliminary meetings with the parks administration in April, May, June, July, August and September 2021, according to invoices.
Barber told McCain that Adkins never met with the parks administration about the project, the former deputy mayor told the Post-Tribune.
At the time, Adkins was vice president of the Gary Common Council and chair of the parks, recreation and culture committee, McCain said.
McCain asked Barber if Adkins attended parks board meetings regarding her company’s contract with the township.
“She said no,” McCain told the Post-Tribune. “They were under the assumption that she was there in her capacity as councilwoman and chair of the parks, recreation and culture committee of the council.”
Because of her role on Gary’s council, McCain said Adkins would’ve had to submit a conflict of interest disclosure to the Indiana State Board of Accounts. Adkins never submitted a form, according to Indiana Gateway for Government Units.
McCain never met with Adkins regarding the project, he said, adding that the former Mayor Jerome Prince’s administration had a “very contentious relationship with the council.”
Adkins founded ARC Group Contractors in February 2020, she said, and it was certified as a Minority and Business Enterprise by the Indiana Department of Administration’s Division of Supplier Diversity in 2021.
The business was started to provide strategic consulting services, Adkins said, and was duly licensed with a Gary business license and registered in the U.S. System for Award Management.
“As a professional service consultant, my role was to advise clients and develop strategies tailored to their needs,” Adkins said in an email. “The work detailed on the invoices reflects, to the best of my recollection, services that were performed as described. During its operation, ARC Group Contractors served several clients, maintaining a commitment to integrity and delivering exceptional service.”