 Welcome, and happy holidays to all! As we get ready to begin what is sure to be an exciting 2017 in the Village, I'd like to pause for a moment to reflect on the outgoing year and all we've accomplished so far.
This fall, the Village worked with Roger Brooks International (RBI) to select music as our new brand. RBI is preparing an action plan and will deliver it to the Village in mid-January. We'll use this plan to begin implementing the new music brand Village-wide over the next several years.
Part of this branding process will include the construction of a new plaza in Downtown Tinley that will feature activities 250 days a year. We're also looking at adding an ice rink that could double as a splash pad, which would complement the great special events we already have in town.
Other excitement includes the redevelopment of the 280-acre state campus site at 183rd Street and Harlem Avenue. After a brief hiatus to explore the feasibility of constructing a sports complex on the property, we're ready to resume our public open houses early next year. Once these are complete in late spring, we should have a master plan that will help guide development.
In addition to introducing live streaming of Village Board meetings on our official YouTube channel, we're working on creating town meetings that will allow residents to call in to ask questions and get answers. The addition of a Village Facebook page and increased use of our Twitter account is providing residents with even greater access to government, underscoring our goal to make community engagement one of our highest priorities.
The Village replaced 948 parkway trees this year that were ravaged by the Emerald Ash Borer beetle, bringing our replanting total to nearly 9,000 trees since we began. Planting will resume in the spring for our sixth and final season. We're aggressively addressing water meter issues and have installed more than 2,600 new water meters this year. The Village resurfaced 12.5 miles of street this year, and we continue to monitor and address neighborhood flooding issues with an $800,000 investment in the Parkside neighborhood.
I love receiving comments and suggestions from residents and invite you to come by my office for Saturday Morning Coffees with the Mayor from 9 a.m. to noon the first Saturday of every month. Stop by Village Hall and let's chat!
On behalf of myself and the entire Village Board, I want to wish each of you a great holiday season and a happy new year.
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At its regular Dec. 20 meeting, the Tinley Park Village Board adopted a property tax levy request for Tax Year 2016 in the amount of $25,541,964, which is unchanged from last year and represents a zero percent increase over the previous year's total dollars. This is the fourth consecutive year the Village has held the tax levy unchanged. 
The Village of Tinley Park has again joined forces with Orland Park, Palos Heights, Mokena and New Lenox for the Safe Ride Home program, which helps reduce the number of drunk drivers traveling the roads on New Year's Eve.