Oak Park’s village board is working to approve a recommended five-year capital improvement plan while grappling with the reality that they may have to issue more debt as some federal funding dries up.
Each year, a five-year plan is approved that will help dictate the priority and associated budget for capital improvement projects in the village. The projects in the capital improvement plan are categorized from A to F in order of priority.
The recommended capital improvements for fiscal years 2025 to 2029 is a 240-page document available online. The projects are categorized as building improvements, fleet replacement, equipment replacement or main projects. From there, each category has a budget or fund associated with it. Some, like water and parking funds, are budgeted within their own specific fund, according to records.
On Thursday, the village board debated priorities for the main capital fund, water/sewer advancements, building improvements and vehicle fleet replacements. Trustees have also discussed improvements for parking infrastructure and village equipment and plans for Community Development Block Grant-funded projects on Sept. 10.
As trustees work to balance their priorities with the high price tags, Village Manager Kevin Jackson pointed out that part of the reason the board might issue more debt in upcoming years is due to the lack of American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
Oak Park received $38.9 million in ARPA funding to address COVID-19’s effect on the community. But any remaining funding must be committed by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026. The board has to decide which goals to prioritize, but it’s not uncommon for municipalities to issue debt for the sake of a capital improvement plan, Jackson said.
“I haven’t seen, in my career, where there’s ever been a situation where you have dedicated revenue coming in that matches the amount of need in terms of capital improvements,” he said. “It’s always a balancing act between the administration, based upon what we know about the board’s priorities and then having these conversations.”
But balancing a budget with the board’s goals might mean some sacrifices.
“We have to ensure that we’re maintaining the things that we own, and we build, or we should stop building them,” Trustee Cory Wesley said, referring to both Oak Park’s Village Hall and the Oak Park and River Forest High School pool.
Main capital fund
The main capital fund projects, including the Oak Park Avenue Streetscape project, alley replacements, bicycle lane improvements and traffic-calming measures, are expected to cost nearly $36 million in 2025.
Oak Park Avenue Streetscape
The village board approved a conceptual design for the Oak Park Avenue Streetscape project in 2023 and construction is planned for 2025. The recommended budget for the project in 2025 is listed at more than $19.5 million, up from about $14.5 million due to additional water, sewer and alley work, according to Village Engineer Bill McKenna.
Street resurfacing
McKenna also said the village expects to spend about $3.3 million for various street resurfacing work annually from 2025 to 2029. But to maintain Oak Park’s roads, the village should really be spending $5.4 million to $5.8 million per year, he said.
“Over a five-year period, you will see a slight drop in roadway condition based on this number,” McKenna said. But he also pointed out that with ongoing water, sewer and lead line replacement work comes additional resurfacing work that could help bridge the gap.
Percy Julian
The village also plans to memorialize Percy Julian’s legacy through streetscape elements like branded banners, crosswalks and gateway signage. Village staff put a placeholder of more than $7.5 million for that work in the CIP from 2025 to 2027.
“I would like to move this up to at least a B to show the significant support that the board has shown for this,” Wesley said. The project was listed as a D priority level. “I don’t consider it optional. I don’t think the board considered it optional when we voted for it.”
Neighborhood greenway and bike boulevards
Further neighborhood greenway and bike boulevard improvements are also recommended at $2.5 million for 2025 and for 2026. The village is also looking to collect public input about the possibility of a Ridgeland Avenue bike lane and to conduct a related feasibility study.
“We’re looking at treatments to make it safer for cyclists,” McKenna said. “Some streets in this network we’re actually looking to upgrade to bike lanes and potentially remove parking … There’s some streets where we’ve under-utilized parking that we would, instead of bike boulevards, turn them into dedicated lanes.
“All of our streets have under-utilized parking,” Wesley responded. “Or most of them.”
Building improvements
Work toward building improvements, including for Oak Park’s Village Hall, the Oak Park Police Department station, the Oak Park Fire Department stations, and the Oak Park River Forest Museum, are expected to cost $5,265,500 in 2025.
The recommended work could rack up a bill of more than $50 million in 2026, $36 million in 2027, nearly $18 million in 2028 and more than $12.6 million in 2029. But Rob Sproule, the village’s public works director, was careful to explain that the dollar amounts associated with Village Hall, the biggest driver of those expenses, are merely placeholders based on conceptual designs.
Oak Park Village Hall
Oak Park trustees have decided to remodel the existing Village Hall structure and to build a new police station after more than a year of debate. But the work won’t come cheap, last estimated at between $132 million to $138.3 million.
Now, Oak Park is asking for another architectural firm to render a schematic design for the project, money for which is set aside in 2025. The village board still has a lot of related decisions to make, including setting a budget.
Downtown Oak Park multi-modal station
Trustee Brian Straw and Wesley agreed that work to enhance the appearance of the downtown Oak Park multi-modal station at Marion Street should be a higher priority than C due to its “sad” condition. But Trustee Lucia Robinson said she’s more concerned about the safety of public transit users at the station rather than the aesthetic. Work to improve the station is anticipated at $150,000 in 2025.
Water/sewer advancements
Water and sewer improvements are expected to cost more than $19 million in 2025, according to the recommended CIP.
Sewer backup protection program
The village is expected to continue its grant program for sewer backup protection for homeowners. This program offers eligible property owners up to a $3,500 grant, half the usual cost of installation for the improvements. The proposed funding for 2025 to 2029 is $300,000 each year. The village averages about 50 grants per year, McKenna said, but about a third of the available funds are unused on average each year.
“I hate that there’s funds leftover, and it’s possibly not getting to the people who need them,” Robinson said. “I want to have that money go to the people who need it, helping people preserve the value of their homes. That’s their biggest asset, for so many families.”
Village President Vicki Scaman suggested using leftover funds to remove mold or address other health considerations that can result after flooding, which Robinson supported.
Vehicle fleet replacements
The village board has already approved the purchase of 10 police squad cars for the OPPD, Sporule reminded trustees Thursday. The cost is not yet reflected in the CIP, but he said this purchase will double the number of hybrid vehicles in the police’s fleet. The new cars are not needed due to increased staff at the OPPD, Sproule said, but rather as replacements of aging vehicles.
The village was also planning to order a new fire ladder truck in 2025, with expected delivery in 2029. That would cost about $2.5 million, Sproule said, about $500,000 more than anticipated, causing village staff to reevaluate if they need to delay the purchase.
The village board is expected to adopt the finalized capital improvement projects plan at its meeting Nov. 7.