The Village of Orland Park advanced a long-stalled Tinley Creek stream-bank stabilization project, with staff recommending the village execute a construction agreement with Copenhaver Construction Inc. and move forward under an existing MWRD grant.

Trustee Lawrence moved to recommend awarding a construction contract for ITV-25-049 to Copenhaver Construction Inc. of Union, Illinois as the lowest qualified bidder at $5,796,847, plus a 10% contingency of $580,000 for a total not to exceed $6,376,847, and to authorize the village manager to approve change orders up to the contingency and execute related contracts subject to attorney review. The motion was seconded; the board then heard a detailed presentation and Q&A before the record in the provided transcript ends.

Khurshid, the project lead, summarized the multi-year history: the project began in 2012, MWRD produced an initial design in 2014 but the work stalled after the village failed to secure the 31 easements MWRD required (only nine were obtained). Work restarted in 2022 after MWRD indicated $3,700,000 in grant funding would otherwise be returned; MWRD remains a major project funder, Krishid said.

Staff presented photos of eroded banks and exposed utilities, described proposed solutions (stone toe, gabion walls — steel cages filled with stone — and native plantings), and noted much of the creek corridor is on private property. Krishid listed four property parcels that declined to grant easements and were removed from the project; the village attorney sent letters stating those owners would be responsible for maintaining their portion of the creek and complying with local and MWRD flow requirements.

Bids were opened 10/03/2025 and staff received five responses; Krishid told the board the lowest bidder was Copenhagen at about $5.79 million and that the village’s share after the MWRD contribution is approximately 36% of the total construction cost (roughly $2.2 million). Staff said an RFP for construction observation and quality-control services was issued 11/21/2025 and the village expects to return in four to six weeks with a recommendation for those services. Construction is expected to begin in the coming months and achieve substantial completion by the end of 2026, with minor items possibly extending into 2027.

Trustees asked technical questions (expected gabion life: 25–30 years with proper maintenance; plantings will be native species) and policy questions about responsibility and funding from property owners who declined easements (Krishid said owners resisted contributing and that the village pursued eminent domain for some parcels in the past).