Orland Park Has Money It Can't Seem to Give Away

Orland Park still has about $230,000 in federal grant money to help businesses add energy-efficient features to their buildings.

So far, however, just two local businesses have applied for the cash.

As of late August, only Paddy B's Restaurant and Pub and Sarku Japan had gone though the entire process and received the grant money, according to Village Planner Nectarios Pittos.

As part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, Orland Park received $520,700 in federal grants to fund energy-efficient additions to village properties, area businesses and homes.

A sum of $250,000 was set for the village's Smart Energy Fund, which provides businesses a 50 percent match for the cost of adding features that use less energy, as long as the total cost for work is under $20,000.

Businesses still can apply for the money until the end of September. Projects using the grant money must begin within 18 months of receiving the grant money. 

"We've either been approached by or communicated with 10 area businesses, and two of them ended up turning in full applications," Pittos said.

At the Aug. 16 village board meeting, Paddy B's was approved for $8,890 of grant money through the SEF program. Sarku had previously received $13,238 from the grant, Pittos said.

"Paddy B's is putting in LED lighting in the restaurant and their sign, as well as custom refrigerators and a cooling system connected to the refrigeration units," Pittos said.

Trustee James Dodge said work done at Patty B's could possibly serve as a case study for how businesses can up their efficiency while still using current power sources.

After September, the village will use remaining grant money to pursue similar energy-efficient projects within village properties, Pittos said. One possibility will be changing lighting at the Sportsplex to a more energy-efficient system, given the number of hours it stays open during the day and the amount of lights on throughout that time.

About $195,000 was marked for projects on village properties from the original grant. A sum of $50,000 was set for work on homes, and $25,000 was earmarked for administrative costs.

Sarku Japan staff declined to comment for this story. Paddy B's did not return messages about the grant funding.