Board Approves $240,000 in Vehicle Fleet Upgrades

Mokena Community Park District Meeting | December 16, 2025

Article Summary: The Mokena Park Board authorized the purchase of two passenger vans and a new dump truck to update the district’s aging fleet. The purchases utilize cooperative purchasing contracts to secure lower pricing and involve trade-ins of older vehicles.

Vehicle Purchase Key Points:

• Passenger Vans: Two 2026 Ford Transit-350 vans purchased for a total of $128,078.

• Dump Truck: One 2025 Ford F-450 4×4 dump truck purchased for $113,813.

• Trade-Ins: The district authorized the disposal/trade-in of a 2000 Chevy 3500 dump truck and a 2011 Ford Escape.

• Savings: Shifting from a single large bus to two vans provided greater seating capacity at a lower cost than budgeted.

MOKENA — The Mokena Community Park District is overhauling its vehicle fleet with the purchase of three new trucks and vans totaling nearly $242,000. The Board of Commissioners approved the acquisitions unanimously during their meeting on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.

The board approved Resolution 25-8, authorizing the purchase of two 2026 Ford Transit-350 passenger vans from Currie Motors of Frankfort for a total of

$128,078($

64,039 each).

According to a memo from Executive Director Greg Vitale, the district had originally budgeted $160,000 for a single 15-passenger bus. Staff determined that purchasing two 12-passenger vans instead would provide “greater total seating capacity at a significantly lower cost.”

Additionally, the board approved Ordinance 25-4, authorizing the purchase of a 2025 Ford F-450 4×4 dump truck for $113,813. This purchase also came in under the budgeted amount of $145,500.

“The Suburban Purchasing Cooperative has a 2025 dump truck available due to a previously canceled municipal order,” Vitale wrote in a memo to the board. “The Park District intends to purchase this vehicle instead at a substantially reduced price.”

As part of the ordinance, the board declared a 2000 Chevy 3500 dump truck and a 2011 Ford Escape as surplus property, authorizing their trade-in to offset the cost of the new heavy-duty truck.