Former Orland Park Police Chief Tim McCarthy (right) and Keith Pekau talk before a meeting in 2022. McCarthy will have the police station named in his honor. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)

By Jeff Vorva

Sometime in the near future, Tim McCarthy will be driving by or visiting his old home at the Orland Park police station and he will notice something new.

His name.

The Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees voted to name the station the Tim McCarthy Police Headquarters at its June 5 meeting. McCarthy served at the village’s chief from 1994-2020 after serving in the Secret Service.

“I’m very happy to get this honor before I passed away,” McCarthy told the board. “It’s nice to have a building before you’re gone so you can enjoy it a little bit.

“I’m very proud and honored that you considered naming the police station after me.”

McCarthy is known for taking a bullet for President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981, when John Hinckley Jr. tried to assassinate the president.

“Chief McCarthy’s service to the Village of Orland Park and his service to the country…we thank you for that,” Mayor Keith Pekau said. “He was hired by the previous administration many years ago and it was clearly a critical hire in making this the best department in the state.”

A formal ceremony will take place at the station in the future.

Plans are also being finalized for a firing range, emergency operations center facility and impound lot on the station’s property.

Centennial West face-lift

The board awarded Reed Construction of Chicago the base bid of $9.9 million for the overhaul of Centennial Park West.

Village officials are eyeing the massive project – which includes moving hills and erecting a permanent stage — will be completed in 2024. The village’s concert series, Taste of Orland, Fourth of July celebration, SummerFest and other events will be hosted there next year.

While construction is going on, this year’s concert series was originally going to be three free concerts in the Centennial Park West parking lot, but the June 10 concert will be held inside the park because the construction has not started yet.

Southern Accents, a Tom Petty tribute band, Sounds of Summer, a Beach Boys tribute band, and Margarita World, a Jimmy Buffett/Alan Jackson tribute band will perform starting at 4 p.m.

Other business:

  • The board recognized resident Stella Michalak for celebrating her 100th
  • The July 3 Board of Trustees and Committee of the While meetings have been cancelled.
  • At the Committee of the Whole meeting, the board voted to allow live broadcasts of Plan Commission meetings.