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A Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects, Inc. for Design Development and Preparation of Construction Documents for the Police Department at 11 Madison in an Amount Not to Exceed $6,000,000.00 and Directing Staff to Prepare the Necessary Budget Amendments
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Introduction
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In August 2026, the Village Board directed staff to advance the schematic design, provided by JLK and the design team, for the Police Department component of the Oak Park Municipal Campus through the remaining phases of the design process including design development and preparation of construction/bid documents. JLK Architects has provided Village staff with a comprehensive proposal for these services.
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Recommended Action
Adopt the Resolution and Direct Staff to Prepare the Necessary Budget Amendments.
Prior Board Action
• On August 25, 2026, the Village Board provided direction to Village staff to advance the Police Department component of the Oak Park Municipal Campus Project to Design Development and to negotiate a Professional Services Agreement with JLK Architects for preparation and delivery of the required construction documents (MOT 26-206).
• On June 23, 2026, the Village Board provided direction to Village staff on the preferred construction delivery method for the Police Department component of the Oak Park Municipal Campus project. The Village Board concurred with staff’s recommended construction delivery method of Construction Manager at Risk (MOT 26-179).
• On February 10, 2026, the Village Board chose to advance a preferred multi-site Oak Park Municipal Campus concept to schematic design with Johnson, Lasky, Kindelin Architects (MOT 26-104).
• On November 20, 2025, Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects, along with the schematic design team, shared two conceptual design options with the Village Board, highlighting the financial and operational advantages and disadvantages of each option. The Village Board chose a preferred conceptual design option, the Multi-Site concept, to further explore the estimated costs of optionality and phasing (MOT 25-262).
• On February 11, 2025, the Village Board had the opportunity to receive an update from the schematic design team and provide feedback on the program validation report, the community engagement portion of the design process, and the outcomes of the Charrette Day activities (ID 25-182).
• On December 3, 2024, the Village Board approved a resolution for a Professional Services Agreement with Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects, Inc. for Schematic Design Architectural Services for the Oak Park Municipal Campus (RES 24-358).
• On November 21, 2024, the Village Board approved the Motion to direct staff to negotiate a professional services agreement with Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects, Inc. for schematic design architectural services for the Oak Park Municipal Campus (MOT 24-269).
• On July 30, 2024, Village staff brought forth a resolution for an amendment to the professional services agreement with Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects, Inc., for additional conceptual solutions for village facilities. The Village Board denied this resolution and instead came to a consensus to move forward with the original Option 3, to build a new police station on the existing site and make renovations to the existing Village Hall. The Village Board directed staff to work through the process of choosing an architect to set the project’s budget and prioritize the Village’s needs (RES 24-261).
• On May 28, 2024, Ludwig Speaks facilitated a discussion with the Village Board to affirm their priorities as they relate to the Police Station Improvement Project in an effort to ensure that future Village Board actions align with their values (ID 24-287).
• On April 9, 2024, the Facility Review Committee, with the support of Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects, Inc., provided a presentation to the Board on the feasibility of renovating Village Hall to meet the needs of modern governance for the Village while maintaining its historic integrity (ID 24-200).
• On October 30, 2023, the Village Board approved a Professional Services Agreement with Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects, Inc. for historic preservation architectural services (RES 23-298). The Village Board also approved a resolution creating a Facility Review Committee for the Oak Park Village Hall Facility Renovation Evaluation Project and appointed its members (RES 23-309).
• On July 31, 2023, the Village Board approved an amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with FGM Architects, Inc. for additional conceptual solutions for Village facilities (RES 23-239). The Village Board also directed staff to engage a separate architectural firm with experience in historic preservation to evaluate the viability and cost of renovating the Village Hall facility to meet the goals of the Village.
• On July 5, 2023, the Village Board approved a motion to advance the Police Station Improvement Project Option 4 (Rebuild the current Village Hall Campus with a new Village Civic Center that meets the current and potential future service needs of the Village including, but potentially not limited to, current Village Hall services and Public Safety and facility parking needs) to schematic design (MOT 23-67).
• On April 24, 2023, the Village Board approved an amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with FGM Architects, Inc. for additional conceptual design options for the Police Station Improvement Project (RES 23-138). At this meeting, the Village Board also approved a task order for Professional Engineering Services with Cordogan Clark & Associates, Inc. to conduct condition assessments and complete energy audits for Village Hall (RES 23-132).
• On February 18, 2020, the Village Board approved an Agreement with FGM Architects, Inc. for Architectural and Engineering Schematic Design Services for the Oak Park Police Department in an Amount Not to Exceed $322,600 (RES 20-093).
• On November 19, 2018, the Village Board approved an Agreement with FGM Architects, Inc. for a Space Needs Assessment for the Oak Park Police Department in an Amount Not to Exceed $53,680 (RES 18-1050).
• On January 22, 2013, the Village Board approved the Historic Preservation Commission’s 2013 Work Plan, allowing the Historic Preservation Commission to pursue listing the Oak Park Village Hall building on the National Register of Historic Places. The application was accepted, and the building was listed on August 25, 2014.
Background
In February 2026, the Village Board voted to advance the Multi-site Concept of the Oak Park Municipal Campus to the schematic design phase, highlighting its cost advantages, improved programmatic outcomes, and sustainability associated with relocating the Police Department to an existing building and retrofitting and expanding it to meet the needs of the Department. While the Police Department option seemed intuitive, the Village Board was split on its approach to Village Hall and Council Chambers, citing concerns about the added costs of relocating Council Chambers despite the existing room’s lack of modern accessibility and safety/security standards.
Throughout the schematic design phase, the design team has continued to meet with Village stakeholders and various department management to further refine programming space needs through the lens of cost efficiency. While refining these needs and determining the required space for Police Department and Village Hall functions, the design team has been able to identify efficiencies from the conceptual drawings that have added cost savings.
At this time, the Village Board has expressed that the Police Department portion of the Oak Park Municipal Campus is the priority. As such, this is the only portion of the project that has been explored by Village staff as part of the preferred construction delivery method, construction manager at risk, and is the only component of the project that Village staff are seeking direction to advance through the remaining phases of the design process at this time. In August 2026, the Village Board expressed support for this advancement to avoid any continued cost escalation for the Police Department component while still exploring options related to Village Hall.
Timing Considerations
The cost estimates provided by MCC in August 2026, which coincide with the schematic design of the Police Department, assume that the construction timeline begins in or around the fourth quarter of 2027. Therefore, to maintain the integrity of these cost estimates, the Village Board would need to approve the professional services agreement with JLK Architects and their design team to allow the remaining phases of design to begin as soon as possible. The remaining phases include design development, value engineering, and preparation of construction/bid documents. The remainder of the design process is anticipated to take approximately 9 to 12 months to complete, depending on the amount of value engineering required to reach the desired construction costs. A more thorough breakdown of the design schedule is included on page 2 of JLK’s proposal.
As has been discussed in the past, in relation to this project and others, the longer a project is delayed, the more likely it is for the total cost to increase. Village staff requested that the design consultants quantify those increases for both the Police Department and Village Hall, based on a one-year (2028), three-year (2030), and five-year delay (2032). Those delays would cost the Village an additional 5.5%, 12.5%, and 21%, respectively.
Financial Impact
The design engineering phase is approximately 10-15% of the total cost of construction. The recently approved schematic design for the Police Department component is advancing forward with an anticipated construction cost of approximately $58M. Considering the schematic design proposal was not to exceed $1.685M and the remainder of design is not anticipated to exceed an additional $6M, the design portion of the project is on track to cost approximately 13.25% of the anticipated construction cost.
Traditionally, agreements for design work related to the Oak Park Municipal Campus have come from GL# 3012.43790.101.540673. Village staff would recommend a budget amendment to cover the entire amount, $6 million, of the current JLK proposal.
Operations Impact
While this item aligns with the Public Works Department’s core service delivery, as depicted in the Prior Board Action section, the entire process has demanded cross-department involvement over several years.
Village staff has been working with the schematic design team since December 2024 to review previous feedback from Village staff, the Village Board, and the Facility Review Committee to put together design options for Village Board review. While this process has demanded significant Village staff and consultant(s) time, the actual hours associated with this project are unquantifiable at this time. There has been a biweekly, hour-long standing meeting for most of the schematic design process, along with various lengthy programming and design meetings to ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page in relation to both the Police Department and Village Hall designs. These meetings are anticipated to continue into the foreseeable future and potentially become more frequent as the project draws closer to construction.
DEI Impact
Taking this next step toward a new police station provides an opportunity to advance DEI standards by incorporating, accessibility, inclusive design, and equitable service delivery considerations into the development of the police station. The design process can help ensure the facility meets the diverse needs of employees and community members while promoting a welcoming, accessible, and inclusive environment.
Community Input
As part of the community engagement process, the Village hosted two surveys and an Open House at Village Hall in January 2025. The first survey was posted on Engage Oak Park and was meant to elicit feedback from community members. The second survey was posted to Open Forms, and the link was shared with internal Village Hall users. The community input received was previously presented to the Village Board as part of the February 11, 2025 board item associated with the Police Station Improvement Project.
Staff Recommendation
Village staff recommends adopting the resolution, which would advance the schematic design of the Police Department component of the Oak Park Municipal Campus project through to the remainder of the design process, including design development and preparation of construction/bid documents.
Advantages:
• By adopting the resolution, JLK and the design team would be able to take the current Police Department schematic designs through the remainder of the design process, thereby allowing the Village Board to gain further clarity on budget expectations once layouts, materials, and costs are identified in further detail.
• Allowing the JLK and design team to continue through to design development, would further allow for value engineering to commence as stakeholders begin a cost-benefit analysis of equipment preferences, material choices, and layout efficiencies.
• Continuing into design development would allow the Village Board to begin the process of securing financing and construction management services.
Disadvantages:
• Allowing for the remainder of the design process will create momentum for the project that will be hard to slow down.
• The remaining phases of the design process require additional consultant time. If the project pauses or slows down following schematic design, some of those fees may be lost due to the need to repeat work.
Alternatives
Alternative 1:
The Village Board can delay action to gain additional information.
Advantages:
• Taking additional time to design and further develop the Village Board’s vision for the project could result in a different approach than currently represented by the Village Board’s goals that may better align with an updated perspective on the project, based upon new insights gained through the current design process.
• A delay could provide time to address any additional concerns articulated by the Village Board, further review or secure funding mechanisms, or pursue potential municipal partnerships not including in the current design.
Disadvantages:
• Delaying this project further will lead to increased costs. As discussed in the Timing Considerations section, a one year (2028), three year (2030), and five year delay (2032) will cost the Village an additional 5.5 percent, 12.5 percent, and 21 percent, respectively.
• The time and resources spent waiting could lead to missed opportunities, such as changes in market conditions or the chance to invest in other projects.
• Delays could disrupt the momentum of the project, leading to a loss of interest from stakeholders and community members.
• Additional time would allow room to change the project scope or add new features, which could complicate and lengthen the project even further.
• Frequent delays could harm the reputation of the Village, leading to a loss of trust among involved contractors, future partners, and the community.
• Delaying this project could lead to scheduling conflicts with other projects, potentially making it harder to secure the same labor and materials when the project is eventually resumed.
Alternative 2:
The Village Board can provide direction to Village staff to pause the project indefinitely.
Advantages:
• No additional staff or financial resources would be committed to this project until otherwise directed by a future Village Board.
• Staff or financial resources could be redirected to other priorities.
Disadvantages:
• Delaying this project indefinitely could make it difficult to recruit and retain valuable Village and Police Department staff to develop, implement, and manage Village programs and services that directly benefit community members.
• The Village Board’s goal to ensure a healthy working environment would be further deferred.
• A priority recommendation from the Berry Dunn Community Safety Study would be delayed indefinitely.
Anticipated Future Actions
There are no anticipated future actions related to this item.
Prepared By: Erin Duffy, Deputy Public Works Director
Reviewed By: Rob Sproule, Public Works Director
Approved By: Kevin J. Jackson, Village Manager
Attachment(s):
1. Resolution
2. Professional Services Agreement- Design Development-Construction Documents
3. JLK Proposal- Design Development through Construction Documents