Northern Indiana Public Service Company announced on Tuesday that it will close its businesses office on Broadway in Gary later this year.

The facility will shut its doors permanently on Dec. 15, the company wrote in a release, “following analysis of customer usage trends showing a steep decline in customer visits and transactions.”

NiSource, which operates the NIPSCO and Columbia Gas brands, is among the country’s largest fully regulated utility companies, providing natural gas to roughly 3.5 million customers and electricity to another 500,000 across six states, according to its website.

The Gary office was temporarily closed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, after which in-person use of the office never rebounded, the release stated. The company wrote that in-person use of the office by customers has been “consistently down more than 50 percent from pre-pandemic levels.”

Since the pandemic, a larger share of NIPSCO customers have been using the company’s online resources, the release said, which include a website and mobile app. Anyone still interested in paying their bills in person can do so at pay stations, 16 of which are within 10 miles of the business office, and one of which is within 1 mile.

The company stressed that it “will continue to have a key presence in Gary,” noting the 200 people employed at its gas and electric local operating offices. The 16 employees who currently work at the Gary business office will be offered roles at NIPSCO’s Merrillville headquarters, according to the release.

adalton@chicagotribune.com