Board votes to return Taste of Orland Park to Village Green after debate on safety, costs and attendance

The Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees voted to move the 2025 Taste of Orland Park from Centennial Park West back to the Village Green, following public comment and extensive trustee discussion about safety, amenities and costs.

The vote: Trustee Leifblad moved to move the 2025 Taste to the Village Green and authorize staff to handle event logistics; the motion passed on a roll call after debate (4 in favor, 3 opposed).

Why it matters: Trustees and residents disagreed about which venue best serves the event’s neighborhood feel, capacity and safety needs. Supporters of the Centennial Park West site cited better permanent amenities and larger capacity; supporters of the Village Green said the green is the “heart” of the village and better for community atmosphere.

Public comment set the tone. Joseph Selleck, a resident, urged trustees not to relocate the Taste to the village hall site because Centennial Park West had drawn a large crowd — he said one Saturday last year drew “a record‑breaking attendance of 15,000 residents” and argued the village hall site “cannot safely accommodate a crowd of this size.” Another resident said she wanted the Taste at the Village Green because it felt like the town center and helped organizers recruit volunteers.

Staff and trustees debated logistics and costs. A staff member identified as Ray told trustees last year’s large Saturday night at Centennial Park West was “probably our largest Saturday that we've ever had,” and estimated attendance last year between 20,000 and 30,000. Ray said boutique features at Centennial Park West — paid VIP parking, shuttle operations and additional staging — had supported the larger crowd. Joel Vinescent, public works director, explained utilities and vendor capacity at Village Green: dedicated water and electrical hook‑ups are available for vendors and staff said the site can accommodate up to 18 vendor spots.

Trustees weighed competing concerns. Trustee Lawler said she supported returning the Taste to the Village Green, citing absence of permanent restrooms at Centennial Park West, limited cooling stations and constrained access in the event of an emergency. Trustee Gutierrez asked about attendance differences; staff repeated the 20,000–30,000 estimate and noted last year’s paid parking on the west lot. Trustee Malani pushed back, calling Centennial Park West successful in terms of amenities and vendor experience; Malani also noted that providing permanent restrooms at the Village Green would be a major expense and said Centennial Park West uses portable restrooms like many comparable communities.

Staff also described operational tradeoffs: moving the Taste back requires temporary generators, rental of additional portables and tie‑downs for tents in some areas, which could change the cost equation. Staff said artist riders for some concerts required larger sound and staging budgets at Centennial Park West; they also said the contracted artists scheduled for this year were willing to perform on the downsized stage option but the possibility of artist or vendor changes exists.

The decision: After discussion, the board approved the move back to the Village Green and authorized the village manager to execute related contracts and change orders within contingency limits.

What to watch for: Staff will finalize logistics and contracts and report back to the board. Trustees asked staff to quantify any additional rental costs and vendor impacts; several trustees said they want a post‑event after‑action review to document lessons learned from last year’s Centennial Park West events.