Tinley Park moving forward with plans to convert site of former mental health center into recreation development
TINLEY PARK, Ill. — The Tinley Park-Park District is moving ahead with plans to turn the site of a former mental health center into a sprawling recreation development.
Park district officials and environmental experts are now sharing new details about clean-up efforts to remove contaminants from the area.
The future of a once sprawling mental health center that closed in 2012, is now in the form of a new multi-phase development.
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The boundaries run from 183rd Street and South Harlem Avenue to 175th Street and 80th Avenue, comprising 280 acres.
Once eyed as a potential casino site, Tinley Park residents rejected that plan for one that would incorporate various indoor and outdoor recreational activities and a fair amount of undeveloped green space.
The first phase includes 90 acres for recreational purposes, such as baseball fields, track and field, a splash pad and pool, and other sports-oriented things with handicap access to all parts.
On Monday, the park district offered an update on the demolition and the next steps to be completed. That includes removing ground contamination from the old hospital and asbestos from buildings that are still standing.
The former head of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is overseeing the cleanup.
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“The removal of the underground storage tanks will be happening later this week,” Park District Board Commissioner Lisa O’Donovan said. “Removal of all of the hazardous materials, including the asbestos and the mold that is contained within these buildings, as well as the demolition of the building.
The state sold the land to the Tinley Park-Park District for $1 and dedicated $15 million for cleanup.
“Any type of removal and demolition is happening we will also be monitoring the air quality to ensure that we are not releasing any toxins into any neighboring communities,” O’Donovan said.
Once the first phase is done, the project will move on to the construction stage, with a finish date that is still to be determined.
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