LA GRANGE, IL – Lyons Township High School is poised to take another step toward openness in its plan to sell 71 acres in Willow Springs.
The school board's president, Tim Albores, proposed Monday that the bid opening be held in the evening, so more people can attend.
"Through this process, the board remains deliberate, thoughtful and transparent in its approach," Albores said.
Other board members appeared to agree with a night opening.
The bid opening is tentatively set for Nov. 9, which is 96 days away. That's on top of the years that the board has been talking about it.
Traditionally, bid openings are held during the business day.
On Jan. 11, 2023, the school held a daytime bid opening for the Willow Springs property. Chicago-based Bridge Industrial, now Kurv Industrial, was the top bidder at $55 million. The other bidder, San Francisco-based Prologis, followed at $46.5 million.
The opening was held 42 days after the board announced in a news release that it would start the process of selling the land.
Both bidders in 2023 were industrial developers. Under Willow Springs regulations, industrial uses are banned on the property, which is next to houses and an elementary school.
In the days after the opening, neighbors of the Willow Springs land discovered that the school had secretly courted Bridge Industrial for 10 months.
As a result, board members faced wrath from residents and public officials, including from the village of Willow Springs.
Meanwhile, the school's lawyer assured board members behind closed doors that they would likely get the desired zoning.
With a coming board election, members decided to abandon the sale in March 2023.
The attorney general later found that the board repeatedly violated the state's open meetings law by discussing the sale in closed sessions.
This time around, the school is likely to get far lower offers for the property, given that Willow Springs officials have made clear they plan to keep out industrial uses.
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