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Forest Park council approves IEPA green-infrastructure grant application for Constitution Court parking lot after questions on cost and funding source
Summary
Council authorized an IEPA green-infrastructure grant application for work at Constitution Court parking lot, and members asked staff to correct a funding-source error on the draft application (general fund listed instead of VIP) and to provide more detailed cost and condition information before accepting any award.
The Village Council voted Aug. 27 to authorize submission of a green infrastructure grant application to the Illinois EPA for improvements to the Constitution Court parking lot, and pressed staff for more detail on condition, costs and the application's stated funding source.
A commissioner asked whether the village would be penalized for applying and then declining the grant; staff answered no, the application can be corrected and the village will not be penalized for later declining an award. Council members also noted the draft application listed the general fund as the funding source; staff said that was an error in the draft and agreed to correct it to the VIP fund prior to submission.
Staff described the parking lot's condition: the east section was redone about four to five years ago during a water-main project while the west side remains deteriorated and has been patched repeatedly. Staff outlined options: a full asphalt replacement would be roughly half the cost of pavers up front, but pavers would last much longer (staff said pavers could last 50 or more years versus roughly 10 years for asphalt) and require lower long-term maintenance. "If you were to redo the whole thing in asphalt, restriping it and grinding it and then doing the whole thing, it would be probably half of the cost," a staff member said. "But to do it in pavers, it's gonna last 50 or more years..." another staff member added.
Council approved the resolution (recorded as 110-25). Staff noted the grant deadline is Nov. 5, 2025, and that most project costs would not be billed until fiscal year 2027 or 2028 if the grant is awarded; the immediate expense would likely be the consultant fee to prepare the application.
Why it matters: The project addresses stormwater and long-term maintenance choices; choosing pavers could reduce future upkeep and better manage runoff but carries higher initial cost and requires grant funding or other capital sources.
What happens next: Staff will correct the funding source on the application, finalize required materials for the Nov. 5, 2025 grant deadline and return with more detailed cost estimates if an award is offered.
