More parts of Tinley Park’s Harmony Square project, a music and recreation venue planned for the village’s downtown, are coming into place following Village Board action Wednesday for services including design and engineering.
Contracts approved by the board include a total outlay of $2.5 million and largely cover costs expected to be incurred before actual construction starts.
East of Oak Park Avenue and north of North Street, Harmony Square is proposed to include a concert stage, splash pad and ice rink along with a synthetic turf area, other water features and seating, according to plans.
Directly north of the Oak Park Avenue Metra station, the plaza is just under 2 acres, and there are also plans for multifamily housing to be built next to it.
One contract approved with The Lakota Group, for $350,350, would cover the overall design of Harmony Square. The Chicago firm would also coordinate with engineering firms being hired and an architect to come up with estimated costs of the park, according to an outline of its scope of services.
Tinley Park is also hiring Aurora-based R.C. Wegman Construction to be the village’s representative during the square’s preconstruction phase, at a cost not to exceed $225,000.
A contract was approved with Tria Architecture of Burr Ridge for $539,000 for the design of the performance stage as well as a VIP building with indoor seating space, a concession stand for the plaza and space that could be used down the road for a bar or restaurant.
Contracts worth $782,000 were also approved with Robinson Engineering, of Frankfort, which will take on engineering services for the design phase as well as construction of road and sewer improvements.
The company is also being paid $50,000 for doing initial assessment on stabilizing banks of a nearby creek, although Robinson said the scope of work of what the village wants hasn’t yet been set, and its fee is an estimate.
The Village Board also approved a contract with Christopher B. Burke Engineering for just under $404,000 for work including design of street lighting as well as relocation of overhead utilities, including electrical lines, underground, according to a memo outlining its scope of services.
The contract with Robinson shows the planned plaza project will include rebuilding existing streets in that area and putting in a street between North Street and 173rd Street, near the intersection of 173rd and 67th Court.
Portions of streets to be rebuilt include 172nd Street between Oak Park Avenue and 67th Avenue, 173rd Street between Oak Park and 67th Court, and 67th Court from just north of 172nd Street south to 173rd Street.
Apart from the plaza itself, plans call for building apartments in a five-story building adjacent to Harmony Square, as well as 63 town houses on the former Central Middle School property north of the plaza.
A development agreement for the homes outlines the main components, such as town houses and apartments, but individual projects would be subject to scrutiny by the village’s Plan Commission and need final approval from the Village Board, which would include public hearings.