The Tinley Park Village Board approved an agreement Tuesday allowing Kirby Elementary District 140 to use village land for a $3.6 million renovation project at Helen Keller Elementary School.
The agreement established easements for access and stormwater improvements.
The action is part of a larger project to accommodate increased enrollment at the school by adding eight classrooms and a dedicated blacktop by August 2026.
School district officials worked through the Easter weekend to finalize the proposal in time for Tuesday’s meeting, which would keep construction on track, said Mayor Michael Glotz said.
The village-owned property is 60-by-620 feet and west of Helen Keller school and parallel to Everdon Drive, according to the documents in the agenda.
The school plans to relocate the hard surface athletic area, playground equipment and a trash enclosure, which requires access to Everdon Drive.
But the school could not access the street without crossing the village-owned property, documents state.
The agreement grants District 140 rights to use and occupy portions of the village-owned property in connection with the school improvements.
The village also agreed to grant easements across the property to accommodate improvements including two 30-foot-wide access driveways, a 10-foot-wide pedestrian access walk, stormwater management facilities and other related site improvements.
In exchange, the school district will grant the village emergency access to the property’s existing water main loop and for other related municipal purposes.
The district also agreed to dedicate part of its property for public right of way along Everdon Drive.
Helen Keller Elementary school is on 163rd Street in Tinley Park.