Mundelein will spend more than a half-million dollars for a pedestrian bridge and other work at Courtland Commons park.
Courtesy of Mundelein
Mundelein will spend more than a half-million dollars for a pedestrian bridge and other improvements at a popular park — and not all the trustees are happy about it.
The work is slated for Courtland Commons park, which is near the northeast corner of East Courtland Street and Seymour Avenue. A divided village board narrowly approved the work Monday.
A nearly 46-foot-long, metal bridge is planned for the west end of the park’s pollinator garden. It will span a waterway called the Seavey Drainage Ditch and connect to the park’s western entrance.
Thirty-four new parking spots along East Crystal Street, which is on the north side of the park, are planned, too. The bridge will improve access to the park from Crystal Street, said Adam Boeche, the village’s director of public works and engineering.
A man strolls through Courtland Commons park in Mundelein. The village board this week voted to spend nearly $548,000 for a pedestrian bridge and other improvements at the park.
Paul Valade/[email protected], June 2025
Christopher B. Burke Engineering will be paid $547,950 for the work. That’s on top of the more than $89,000 it received for designing the bridge.
Kara Lambert was the only trustee to vote against that initial contract in December 2024. She opposed the construction Monday, too, citing concerns about decreasing village revenues and the cost of the project.
“We need to take a good, hard look at what we’re spending, and if this is a want versus a need,” Lambert said.
Lambert was joined in opposition by trustees Erich Schwenk and Tony Ugaste.
Trustees Arnold Krinski, Jennifer Grieco and Daniel Juarez supported the plan, however, and Mayor Robin Meier broke the 3-3 tie to push the project across the finish line.
Meier said park visitors had requested easier access from a nearby parking lot to the park itself.
“This isn’t a village whim,” Meier said. “This is something that we’re responding to the public for.”
Construction is expected to start this fall and wrap up next spring, Boeche said.
Courtland Commons occupies part of the former U.S. Music Corp. property. The site attracts bike riders, runners and recreational walkers.
It’s also hosted Mundelein’s Community Days festival, the Mundelein Craft Beer Festival, the village’s annual fine arts festival and other community activities.
A video recording of Monday’s board meeting is available at mundelein.org.
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