A helicopter moves an HVAC unit onto the new addition of the Tinley Park Convention Center Monday. (Ashley Rueff/TribLocal).

Construction crews at the Tinley Park Convention Center called in a little help from above Monday when they brought in a helicopter to move heating, ventilation and cooling units from the ground to the roof of the new addition to the convention center.

Jeff Doane, facilities manager for Mid-Con Hospitality Group, said using the helicopter to move the HVAC units to the roof took about an hour compared to the two days it would have taken to do the same job with a crane.

“It’s a lot safer and it’s a lot faster,” he said.

The helicopter moved 26 units, each weighing a few thousand pounds, Doane said.

Assistant Village Manager Mike Mertens said the expansion project is still on track for its completion date of June 1. Crews are on a tight timeline because the center’s first big booking, the National Council of Corvette Clubs 2011 Convention, is scheduled for June 18 to 24. The convention is expected to draw nearly 1,000 visitors for the week.

After falling behind schedule because of weather, poor soil quality and the laborers and operators strike in July, the Tinley Park Village Board of Trustees approved an acceleration schedule that allowed construction crews to work in shifts to make up for lost time.

Mertens said some shift work has been scheduled already and he expects more to follow in the coming weeks.

Crews are finishing up the external work on the building and are starting to work on the interior, he said. The additional parking lot is finished and crews will continue to install parking lot lights and signage.

The expansion project is adding 58,000-square-feet to the existing convention center for a total of 123,000-square-feet. It’s projected to cost $21.4 million.