The police department portion of the Oak Park Municipal Campus project, which includes renovations on village hall, will remain the priority with a lower price tag than previously estimated.
Oak Park’s village board, at its meeting on Aug. 25, unanimously voted to move the project forward to allow village staff to negotiate a professional services agreement with Johnson, Lasky & Kindelin Architects Inc.
The new estimated cost of the schematic design is just under $57.6 million from an earlier estimate of about $63.7 million from a previous concept phase. Trustee Derek Eder said the reduction “is good,” but wants to look at additional cost reductions down the road.
Screenshot of the Oak Park Municipal Campus Design 
Screenshot of the Oak Park Municipal Campus Design 
Screenshot of the Oak Park Municipal Campus Design 
Screenshot of the Oak Park Municipal Campus Design 
Screenshot of the Oak Park Municipal Campus Design 
Screenshot of the Oak Park Municipal Campus Design 
Screenshot of the Oak Park Municipal Campus Design 
Screenshot of the Oak Park Municipal Campus Design 
Screenshot of the Oak Park Municipal Campus Design
“Anything we can do now to reduce this large ticket item, even though it’s a one-time expense, that’s still that’ll affect the amount that we have to spend over 30 years,” said Eder.
There are some unknown estimates that are not included in the total as they are more contingent on decisions made by the future construction manager. These price projections are also based on a 2027 timeline with multi-million-dollar increases every year following if the start date were to be delayed.
Rob Sproule, Oak Park’s public works director, said at the meeting the village expects to present a construction manager recommendation to the board in October, and construction could begin this upcoming year if the project is advanced on schedule.
“I do think that it is important that we stay on schedule,” said Village President Vicki Scaman. “What I’m accepting here is that there’s practical logistics to getting started on the thing that is the priority here, and then, just keep the ball moving.”
During public comment at previous board meetings in July, some citizens raised concerns over investing in a new police department at all, suggesting decisions should wait until an investigation into the shooting of Christian Wallace is complete. Wallace was killed in an altercation with an Oak Park police officer earlier this year.
The new police station is planned for the site of the current U.S. Bank property at 11 W. Madison St., although it has not officially been acquired by the village. At the beginning of the year, village government voted to obtain the property through eminent domain, and Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill in August granting authority for this process.
Meg Kindelin, owner and president of JLK Architects, presented the schematic design of both the new village hall and police department at the meeting explaining the deeper meaning behind the architectural choices. Community, honor, welcoming and art are the key concepts behind the proposed police department design, she said.
She said the “metrics of success” for the overall campus are based on creating a “place of pride, being mindful of cost and mindful stewards of the public money the police department needs the facility and respect it deserves, a sense of inclusion, security and safety being paramount, solving and recognizing parking issues, sustainability, and of course being involved with the community.”