Tinley Park Fines State Over Mental Health Center: Hearing

TINLEY PARK, IL — An administrative hearing on citations against the state of Illinois for lack of care at the former Tinley Park Mental Health Center site took place Tuesday evening at the Tinley Park Police Station.

Village staff and a resident stood before a hearing officer to provide evidence arguing that the state has been negligent with the property for years. The state may face nine $750 fines, depending on the hearing officer's final order.

“We’ve decided to move forward with this hearing as a result of the State’s lack of action regarding these violations,” Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. “We can levy a $750 daily fine against each violation for each day they exist, but make no mistake — this isn’t about the money. It’s about action. We want — no, we need — the State to clean up this property, for the health and safety of the entire region.”

Related: $15 Million For Tinley Park Mental Health Center Cleanup Lost?

In April, the village sent a citation notice to the Illinois Department of Central Management Services for nine health code violations, including accumulation of rubbish or garbage, defacement of property, sanitation and weeds, among others. The notice, written by Tinley Park Code Compliance Officer Ken Karczewski, demanded the state respond with a "plan of action" to abate all property maintenance, hazardous and environmental issues.

On April 30, Terrence D. Glavin, a Central Management Services representative, told the village that his department is exempt from these violations. On May 6, the village informed residents of a 2.1 million gallon water spill into Tinley Park's storm sewers, due to a water main break at the site. The village said the spill equated to more than $17,000 in damages and water waste. On May 20, officials held a press conference to express their frustrations with the state, publicly discussing the citations and a lack of communication.

Tuesday's administrative hearing — meant to resolve disputes between agencies and citizens without the procedural rules of a court — provided evidence to Administrative Law Judge Michael A. Marrs, backing the April citations.

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Representatives of the state did not appear for the hearing, but Karczewski, Marketing Director Donna Framke and resident Nancy O'Connor gave testimony.

Karczewski and Framke told the law judge about their most recent visits to the former mental health hospital that took place earlier this year, offering photos of their findings. Framke said she went to the property in May to gather photos and still shots with other village employees and officials, including Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz.

Karczewski said he visited the site for the first time in February 2020 and observed garbage thrown around the property, roads with many potholes, graffiti and deteriorated conditions of the buildings. He said his April 2021 visit didn't show much of a change, and that his most recent visit was on Monday, but he was denied access to inspect the area.

Karczewski added that although he was turned away, his findings that were reported in April appeared to remain the same.

Resident Nancy O'Connor said she lives within walking distance of the property and has been involved in the effort to get it cleaned up since negotiations to redevelop the site came around in 2017. She said reports of flooding, stripped copper from Oak Hall and a power plant on site that resulted in flooding — among other discoveries — prompted her to file her first formal complaints in November 2019.

O'Connor suspects that the flooding from the former Oak Hall site resulted in dying foliage surrounding the building, as reports have shown the buildings are highly contaminated with chemicals and toxins, such as asbestos and black mold.

"The property is rapidly deteriorating. It’s not a matter of if a catastrophe will happen, it’s when," O'Connor said. " Whether it's a fire, explosion or a chemical release, it will happen. It’s only a matter of time."

Other evidence presented included video the village took while on the property in May, and YouTube video of citizens roaming around the property, claiming paranormal activity at the site.

Police Chief Matthew Walsh told Patch the department has responded to 41 calls for service at the former mental health facility since 2019. This includes 29 calls to assist other agencies, five calls for criminal trespassing, four suspicious person calls, one vehicle lock out, one found property and one traffic stop.

The village referred to the property as an "attractive nuisance" that contains asbestos, black mold, rusting vehicles and equipment, collapsed structures, broken windows, graffitied walls and overgrown foliage.

After the hearing, Village Manager David J. Niemeyer told Patch that regardless of the outcome, the end result is to simply get the property cleaned up.

"This is not at all about money," he said. "This is all about compliance. If this was cleaned up tomorrow and the state never paid a dime, I would be ecstatic."

The village manager said it is possible some citation orders will be carried out, but not all. There is also the possibility none will be carried out. Niemeyer said the village will continue to issue citations if a final order does not prove the state to be in violation of anything.

"Be a good landlord, take care of your property. If you can't, then sell it to someone who will," Niemeyer said.

In May, Central Management Services Deputy Director Marjani Williams told Patch that the recent leak was found to hold no threat to the public. Williams said the department provides maintenance and oversight at the property and continues to work with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to monitor conditions and to address any onsite issues in a timely manner.

"The Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) has been working closely with the village to identify and quickly address issues at this site," Williams said. "Safety is the top priority for CMS and the State of Illinois and this site has been locked down since November 2019 as a precautionary measure to restrict unauthorized site access."

Related:

Tinley Officials Demand Action On Former Mental Health Center

Water Leak At Tinley Park Mental Health Center Sparks Concern

Asbestos Found Throughout Tinley Park Mental Health Center Site

Legislation Introduced To Sell Tinley Park Mental Health Center

Mental Health Center Site Talks Stall Amid Coronavirus Pandemic