Orland Park’s incoming mayor is questioning the timing of additional work being authorized at the village’s Centennial Park West concert facility and promised he and incoming trustees will evaluate the venue’s future use.
Jim Dodge’s comments, outlined in a news release, came before the Village Board voted Monday to approve about $1 million in work at the park, including installation of two large video screens. The screens could be used for showing up-close shots of performers on stage, but also to show movies, village officials said.
Centennial Park West, 15609 Park Station Blvd., is a 12-acre park adjacent to the larger Centennial Park, and is the site of concerts and includes a 3,200-square-foot performance stage.
The park is also the site of Orland Park’s July Fourth fireworks and last year hosted the annual Taste of Orland, previously held adjacent to Village Hall and the Civic Center.
“This is wasteful, last-minute spending,” Dodge said in the news release. “We need to evaluate options for the future of the venue prior to even considering any additional spending on an already superfluous project.”
“We are not going to spend more taxpayer dollars on this until we figure out its future,” Dodge said.
He said an evaluation of uses would include input from residents.
The work was discussed at a committee meeting prior to the board meeting, and will include screens 15 feet by 25 feet.
Trustee Bill Healy voted against the project, which was done without seeking bids. Healy asked at the committee meeting whether the village had investigated renting screens when needed. He said it was a large outlay considering the limited number of times during the year the screens would be used.
Mayor Keith Pekau said the suggestion was studied, and that it “was much less expensive to own them than to rent them.”
Resident Julie Donovan urged board members Tuesday to “hit the pause button on this expenditure” until the three new board members are sworn in.
She said the “context and timing raise significant concerns” and questioned whether it was the right decision at this moment.
During the mayoral campaign, Dodge was critical of village spending on the music venue, so far estimated to be about $13 million.
He said Tuesday that after he and three new trustees are sworn in May 5, they will take a close look at how the venue is used.
“We are going to think long and hard about whether we want to use it for big commercial concerts,” he said. “What we use it for going forward is the big question.”
mnolan@southtownstar.com
