Two contenders for the job of crafting Forest Park’s new comprehensive plan will make presentations to the village council at a special meeting on Monday, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. in the basement of village hall.
The village has budgeted $100,000 for the comprehensive plan, paid for by a multi-community grant through HUD. Six companies submitted proposals to write the plan, and two have made the cut, said Village Administrator Tim Gillian.
The selection committee consisted of Gillian, Village Planner Jo Ellen Charlton, Fire Chief Steve Glinke and Forest Park resident and urban planner Charles Crumb.
Teska Associates is an Evanston-based planning group led by urban planner Robert P. Teska, who, according to their website, has worked on more than 400 projects over 40 years.
Images Inc. is a public relations and planning firm that has coordinated all of the public outreach for the possible Eisenhower Expressway expansion, said Gillian. “They’re doing all there is to do with public outreach on that project,” he said. Images Inc. is certified as a woman-owned business with the State of Illinois.
Village Administrator Tim Gillian has said that public participation is vital to the comprehensive plan. On the Teska website, the planning company has in the past installed digital kiosks at commuter train stations to query residents about their preferences. Teska has also held meetings where public participants moved three-dimensional blocks shaped like buildings around a 3-D map.
The Images Inc. website lists mostly transportation-related projects with IDOT, RTA and CTA.
Public comment is welcome at the beginning of the Aug. 6 meeting, Gillian said.
