Board narrowly approves consultant for Kensington Road shared‑use path study; trustees split on timing and prioritization

The Village Board on April 7 voted to accept a consultant proposal to complete a Phase‑1 engineering study for a Kensington Road shared‑use path, with a recommended fee of $371,412 (staff reported a not‑to‑exceed amount of $374,412).

Sean Dorsey, head of Public Works, explained the study follows the village’s arterial bike‑network plan and would focus on a segment from Forest Avenue to Rand Road and toward the Canadian National Railroad crossing. Staff estimated eventual construction costs of roughly $4 million and said a Phase‑1 project development report would put the village in a stronger position to secure federal and state grant funding. Dorsey explained the selection of this corridor reflected near‑term project prioritization and synergy with related work at Randhurst/Route 83 and planned railroad crossing improvements.

Several trustees said they supported the corridor choice because it ties to other grantable work; others asked for more board engagement before RFPs and a clearer explanation of why this corridor came first. Trustees raised property and right‑of‑way concerns (including an owner who owns to the centerline on part of Kensington), the need for ADA‑compliant approaches replacing an existing staircase near the railroad, and questions about whether connectivity to existing Forest Preserve and Arlington Heights paths was being obtained in the most efficient order.

Public commenters, including property owners on Kensington, said they had not been informed earlier and objected to any potential sidewalk across private land; staff said state or federal grant funding would typically require acquisition of ROW and compensation when necessary. The motion to accept the consultant recommendation passed by roll call, 4–3: Trustees Gens, Matuszak, Sacatelli and Mayor Hoefert voted yes; Trustees Dante, DiPrima and Grossi voted no.