Orland Park trustees discuss asphalt rejuvenator use after residents report sand and tracking on Humphreys First, Second and Third avenues

Orland Park — Village staff briefed the Committee of the Whole on the condition of Humphreys First, Second and Third avenues and the recent application of an asphalt rejuvenator product (Reclamite); residents said fine sand and sticky residue from the treatment remain on the streets and have tracked into homes.

The presentation, given by a village staff member identified in the meeting as Joel, described three options for the three streets: retain the current condition (staff preferred), apply a seal coat (estimated about $10,000), or perform a mill-and-overlay (estimated about $51,000). Joel told trustees that work already done on the streets this year cost $4,160 and that the rejuvenator is intended to extend pavement life by about "5 to 7 years." The item was presented for discussion only; the board took no formal vote on roadway repairs at the meeting.

Why it matters: residents raised public-health and quality-of-life concerns about a fine sand used with the rejuvenator, saying the material remained after multiple sweepings and was tracking into homes. Trustees asked staff for more information about product use, prior local trials, application timing and cleanup plans before deciding whether to pursue a mill-and-overlay.

Joel, a village staff member, said the First, Second and Third avenues had been part of the village’s 2024 road-improvement program (the Humphrey Subdivision) and that the village’s pavement-condition scan showed those streets as in a "green" condition compared with nearby, more heavily traveled roads that had been flagged for replacement. Joel said village staff and the contractor chose to apply the rejuvenator rather than remove and repave the streets because the surface was judged to be in sufficiently good condition.

Trustee Lawler pressed application details and recalled seeing trucks applying the product during rainy conditions. "I very clearly remember seeing the trucks pour it when it was raining, and the sand came by afterwards," Lawler said, adding that residents had reported the material tracking into homes.

Two residents who addressed the board — who identified themselves only as Richard and Dave — urged immediate cleanup and a full mill-and-overlay. Richard said notifications were not received by residents and argued the streets were about 20 years old and therefore not appropriate candidates for the product. "These substances should never have been applied in a densely populated area, especially without prior notice to residents," Richard said.

Dave, who supplied a multi-page packet to the board, described multiple unsuccessful sweeping attempts to remove the fine sand and said, based on the materials he provided, that the product’s guidance limits its use to much newer pavements. "It's meant for new surfaces that are applied in addition to the new asphalt and can be extended up to 6 years in cold climates," Dave said; he asked the village to treat the material as an urgent cleanup and then mill and overlay the streets.

Trustees described differing initial reactions but a shared interest in prompt remediation. Trustee Healy urged immediate cleanup measures: "The first thing we've gotta do is remediate that condition and clean it up," Healy said. Trustee Lawrence said he initially saw the product as reasonable but, after visiting the streets, said the accumulation of very fine sand and numerous patch areas gave him pause and that he would seek more information before deciding on a permanent fix.

Joel said the village had notified residents before the planned application and sent a follow-up notice after a short weather delay. He also said the product has been used in other Orland Park neighborhoods, including a 2024 application in the Eagle Ridge area and an earlier pilot near Mission Hills.

No formal vote was taken on a repair method during the meeting. The board accepted a large packet of resident materials and said trustees and staff would review that documentation and return the item to the agenda on a later date for a decision. In the meantime trustees requested staff pursue immediate cleanup and report back with additional technical information on the product’s recommended uses, local trial results, weather-application protocols and any health or environmental assessments the village has relied on.

The Committee of the Whole approved routine minutes earlier in the meeting and moved the Humphreys item up on the agenda so the public could comment that evening, but it did not adopt any road-repair motion; any future mill-and-overlay or other capital work would require a subsequent formal action by the village board.