Schools
LTHS Controversy To Be Tackled In Willow Springs
A consultant plans to present a study on the "highest and best use" of the school's land.
WILLOW SPRINGS, IL – Willow Springs plans a town hall next week on Lyons Township High School's wooded land, which has been the subject of much controversy over the last year.
The high school bought the 70 acres more than six decades ago for a third campus. But enrollment stabilized, so school officials see no need for a new school.
The town hall is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 28 at Willow Springs Village Hall, 1 Village Circle.
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In the face of opposition, the high school tried to sell the land to an industrial developer earlier this year, but dropped the plan shortly before the school board election.
The land is zoned for residential and small retailers, while industrial uses are banned.
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In recent months, the village hired Houseal Lavigne Associates to research the "highest and best use" of the land.
The village has sent out a mailer to residents about the town hall, in which residents can speak after the presentation. High school officials have been invited.
In January, the high school board broke the law and discussed the land deal behind closed doors.
After receiving a complaint, the attorney general ordered the board to release the recordings.
It turned out the board was strategizing to keep both the village and Pleasantdale School District 107, which has a school next to the land, out of the loop on its plans for the property.
During the closed meetings, a board member said industrial operations would hurt neighbors, prompting others to agree.
Also, Ares Dalianis, a lawyer from the school's law firm, Franczek, told the board its chances at getting a zoning change were "pretty good," although village officials said they would stick to the regulations.
Dalianis never told the board during the closed meetings that it should discuss the land in public, as state law requires.
A couple of months after the attorney general's order, the high school board changed its law firm.
In the last few months, the school board has taken a wait-and-see approach while Houseal Lavigne does its work.
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