Another $18M Grant Will Fund Cleanup Of Blighted Tinley Mental Health Center Site

TINLEY PARK, IL — The Tinley Park-Park District will get an additional $18 million in state funds, for work on the environmental cleanup of all 280 acres of the former Tinley Park Mental Health Center site, park district officials said Tuesday.

“Our experts overseeing this project have worked closely with our state partners to secure enough funding to ensure we can clean up all 280 acres of land and finally restore this site for our community,” said Lisa O’Donovan, Park Board President. “The cleanup will continue to move diligently and thoroughly to get this eyesore cleaned up after more than a decade.”

“We have pledged to clean up the site without asking our residents to foot the bill, and we are grateful to the state for providing the grant funding to complete it,” said Park Board Vice President Bernie O’Boyle.

"Many factors" contributed to the increase in funding needed to complete the cleanup in full compliance with environmental regulations, including that cost estimates were prepared during the 2013-2014 timeframe, well in advance of clean-up work beginning on the site, officials said.

Other factors include inflation and rising construction costs, the "continued degradation of the abandoned buildings on site," and the need for "extensive abatement" to address stormwater buildup in basements, tunnels, and throughout the site, officials said.

With the start of the cleanup, the park district’s team of experts was also finally able to access all areas of the site, including many areas that have not been accessed for years due to overgrown vegetation and unsafe building conditions.

The team "has been able to better assess the work needed and found the cleanup to be more extensive than initial estimates, in order to complete the abatement and demolition work consistent with what our environmental laws require."

“We thank Governor Pritzker, Senate President Harmon, Speaker Welch, and all of our local legislators for working together to ensure the site is remediated and restored for Tinley Park residents,” the Tinley Park-Park District Board of Commissioners said. “After more than a decade, we are thrilled to lead this project for our community.”

Environmental abatement continues in all buildings on site and following that work, abated buildings will be demolished, officials said. The park district in January marked the start of demolition work.

Since then, demolition contractor Omega II LLC was fined $40,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, for reportedly not testing employees for lead exposure.

The park district acquired the land from the state for $1 in February 2024, with $15 million in state funding secured to pay for the remediation of all 280 acres—starting first with environmental clean-up, vegetation cutting and overgrowth removal, and removal of underground storage tanks. Tapped as project lead on the cleanup was Michael Maloney, who lost his bid for Tinley Park mayor in April 2025.

Maloney has since retired, and has been replaced by Caryn Castillo. Castillo has been on the team of experts and also been on site regularly since the cleanup began, officials said. She is assisted by Ryan Veldman at the park district, who also has worked at the site and with the team of experts since cleanup began.

Castillo's experience includes 30 years of comprehensive experience in the environmental, health, and safety fields. Her previous employers include United States Postal Service, Amtrak, Pepsico, Honeywell and St. Francis Hospital.

The park district has also had the land cleared and overgrowth cut back, erected security fencing, safely removed old and unused underground storage tanks, and stormwater and dewatering occurred. The cleanup process will continue until all buildings are abated and nearly all structures are demolished.

The project is being independently overseen by multiple layers of government, including the county, state and federal levels, through site visits, permitting, and routine documentation and reporting review.

Once complete, the site will need the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s stamp of approval to be redeveloped. Park district officials will engage with the Tinley Park community to discuss ideas and feedback to redevelop the land.

For more information on the cleanup, as well as photos and video on its progress, visit the Park District’s website.