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Forest Park board debates green parking-lot project, tables award until March 14
Summary
After debate over village costs and a $200,000 MWRD partnership, the council voted to table the 510 Des Plaines green parking-lot award to allow more time to assess grant timing and village-share figures.
The Forest Park Board on Feb. 14 debated whether to accept bids and proceed with a green parking-lot reconstruction at 510 Des Plaines that would include stormwater-retention features funded in part through a partnership with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD). The measures to award the contract were discussed at length and ultimately tabled until the March 14 meeting.
One commissioner raised fiscal concerns about the village's share, saying the village could use limited funds for other projects and questioning whether the benefit justified the additional cost. "I just think the cost outweighs the benefit for the village and its residents in this particular case," the commissioner said, expressing reservations about adding roughly $60,000 over pre-pandemic estimates and a village share figure discussed at approximately $145,000-$178,400 depending on the accounting for construction and engineering.
Administrator Moses Amadei said bids came in better than feared and warned that the MWRD partnership (described in the meeting as covering a significant portion of construction) would expire or be lost if the village did not proceed; he said the MWRD contribution would be dedicated to this project and could not be repurposed elsewhere without reapplying. "That MWRD grant for about 200,000 goes away if we don't do the lot," he said.
After further discussion about competing needs (alleys, lead-line work) and grant timing, a motion to table the award until March 14 was put and carried by recorded 'Aye' votes.
