TINLEY PARK, Ill. – The Board of Commissioners of the Park District of Tinley Park today announced a new Remediate 280 Committee led by Chair Lisa O’Donovan and Co-Chair Ashley Rubino. The Committee is made up of a diverse set of Tinley Park residents who will oversee and provide feedback on the state-funded cleanup process of the former Tinley Park Mental Health Center property.
The Remediate 280 Committee will work collaboratively to oversee environmental remediation of the property’s 280 acres to ensure safe and proper clean-up of contamination at the site and provide regular updates to the residents of Tinley Park. The Committee will meet regularly and provide transparency into its efforts. The new committee was established at the Board’s Wednesday meeting.
Members of the Remediate 280 Committee are Tinley Park residents Tana Burhans, Bill Devine, John Gorajski, Amjad (AJ) Haj, Dan McAllister, Melissa Sanfilippo, Rona Szabo, Carmelita Wagner, and Sylvester Wilson.
“I am excited to lead our new Remediate 280 Committee to ensure the entire vacant property of the former mental health center is cleaned up for our community,” said Chair O’Donovan. “The state-funded cleanup process is just beginning, but we are excited to finally get rid of this eyesore for Tinley Park.”
“We are very grateful to the Remediate 280 Committee members for their contributions to this important cleanup work,” said Co-Chair and Secretary Ashley Rubino. “Through our efforts, we will ensure the entire 280 acres of the property will be cleaned up and restored for our residents.”
In August, Gov. Pritzker signed into law House Bill 3743 to transfer the site of the former Tinley Park Mental Health Center to the Park District for $1. The Park District is working through steps to officially own the property, including effectuating the land transfer and unlocking $15 million in state grant funding to pay for cleanup efforts.
Under the new law, the Park District saved Tinley Park taxpayers over $4.5 million to purchase the site, which the Village of Tinley Park had previously offered to pay for the property.
The Park District also has leading environmental experts on board to help oversee cleanup: Renee Cipriano, the former head of the IEPA under two former governors, and Elizabeth S. Harvey, an environmental attorney with Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP. Their expertise will guide the Park District as it engages in an updated environmental study of the property and begins cleanup work to pave the way for redevelopment of the property. The work will be funded through the state grant that was awarded to the Park District in this year’s fiscal year state budget.
