Tinley Park Leaders Want Closed Mental Health Facility Cleaned Up

TINLEY PARK, IL -Mayor Jacob Vandenberg and the village board are urging the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency to address the environmental issues that have been plaguing the former Tinley Park Mental Health Center for more than seven years now. The state closed the building in 2012, however, village officials claim it has been an eyesore and public hazard ever since.

“The state has allowed a public and private nuisance to exist, open and unsafe buildings to decay and an imminent and substantial endangerment to the health of the environment from solid waste, hazardous waste and hazardous materials on site," village leaders wrote in a letter to both the state and federal EPA last week.

Village leaders said they want both agencies to require the state, which still owns the property, to secure the site with fencing and a locked gate, remove the overgrowth, contain the friable asbestos and get rid of any hazardous materials at the site. In addition, they want the state to investigate and remediate the site.

"These issues must be addressed in order to ensure the site is safe, attractive and clean for current and future residents of Tinley Park," Tinley Park Village Manager Dave Niemeyer said.

According to Niemeyer, the village was recently negotiating with a developer who intended to build an entertainment complex on the site. This property would have contained a casino and racetrack (called a “racino”), among other attractions. As part of these negotiations, Niemeyer said the developer was going to agree to clean the entire site.

The village was simultaneously in negotiations with the state to purchase the land so development could proceed once a deal was finalized, Niemeyer said. However, on Oct. 15 of this year, the village manager said that the state sent a letter to the village ending negotiations to buy the land without explanation.

"We have asked to meet with them to discuss next steps, but they have so far refused this request. Because of this, there is no immediate plan to clean the site, which prompted the village to reach out to the IEPA and USEPA for a solution," Niemeyer said.

He added that Tinley Park did its own environmental study in 2014 which indicated it would cost about $12.4 million to clean up the site, in turn, significantly exceeding the state’s estimates. This was in addition to the $4.1 million appraised value of the site, according to Niemeyer. In 2017, he said said the village was promised updated appraisal numbers from the state, but the village has yet to receive them as of this date.

Niemeyer said he along with fellow village leaders eagerly want the site to be cleaned and redeveloped, not just for safety reasons, but to provide significant revenues for Tinley Park and the entire state.

"We hope the state finally addresses this eyesore and becomes an active partner in cleaning the property," Niemeyer said. "Together we can make the site a source of pride for the state as well as the village."

SEE ALSO:

• Former Tinley Mental Health Center Could Become Senior Community
• Military Simulation Game Set For Old Tinley Park Mental Hospital
• One Tinley Park Video Stirs Mental Health Center Debate