Cleaning Up Vacant Land Without Costing Residents

TINLEY PARK, Ill. – After over a decade of sitting vacant, the Park District of Tinley Park is cleaning up the former Tinley Park Mental Health Center site at no cost to Tinley Park taxpayers.

One year after obtaining the land for $1, the Park District’s cleanup is well underway with crews removing hazardous wastes from inside buildings and demolishing buildings throughout the 280 acres of vacant property. The cleanup progress comes as the Park District has spent only 15% of the $15 million state grant it received to pay for the project.

“We’re being diligent with the $15 million in state grant funding to clean up this property right at no cost to our community,” said Marie Ryan, Park District Board President.

“We purchased this land for a $1 and received $15 million in state funding because we know it’s finally time to clean up this site for our community – without asking our residents to pay for it,” said Lisa O’Donovan, Board Commissioner and Chair of the Remediate 280 Committee, which is overseeing clean-up of the site.

“We are proud to be cleaning up this site using state funds so that we can finally revitalize this land for Tinley Park,” said Don Cuba, Board Treasurer and Commissioner.

“The state grant to clean up this site will turn this eyesore into an asset for Tinley Park,” said Ashley Rubino, Board Commissioner and Co-Chair of the Remediate 280 Committee.

“We are working every day to clean up this site and ensure the state pays for it – not our residents,” said Bernie O’Boyle, Board Vice President and Commissioner.

Background

The Park District tendered $1 in February 2024 to obtain the site from the state of Illinois, saving Tinley Park taxpayers over $4.5 million to purchase the site, which was what the Village of Tinley Park previously offered for the land. The Park District also secured $15 million in state funds to pay for all 280 acres of the site to be cleaned up for redevelopment. Before the Park District officially owned the site, it began environmental clean-up work by conducting an updated environmental assessment of the land to determine the extent of remediation needed.

Other work that the Park District has overseen at the site includes cutting back vegetation and overgrowth on the property to provide access to roads and buildings on the site, erecting security fencing around the perimeter of the site, safely removing underground storage tanks, and removing stormwater and dewatering of the property.

The clean-up process is being led by the Park District’s expert team of Project Manager Michael Maloney, former Illinois EPA Director Renee Cipriano and leading environmental attorney Elizabeth S. Harvey. The experts are helping ensure the safety of environmental work as well as receive the IEPA’s stamp of approval to redevelop the site.

Once the property’s environmental clean-up is complete, the Park District will engage with the Tinley Park community to discuss ideas and feedback to redevelop the land. More information and updates about the clean-up project can be found on the Park District’s website.