LTHS Faces Protests Over Willow Springs Sale

LA GRANGE, IL – The Lyons Township High School board on Monday rejected the two bids for its 70 acres in Willow Springs.

But its leader said the school would continue negotiations for the sale.

The board took more than an hour of comments from residents, many of whom opposed selling the wooded land. Willow Springs village and park leaders took the village to task, accusing the school of leaving them out of the loop.

Many opponents live near the land in question. They loudly cheered those objecting to the sale to industry and booed supporters.

The board held its meeting in the North Campus auditorium, likely in preparation for a larger audience than usual.

The Willow Springs property is southwest of 79th Street and Willow Springs Road. Its zoning excludes industrial uses, though the two bidders are industrial developers.

The land is surrounded by houses, Pleasantdale Elementary School, a country club and a UPS facility.

In prepared remarks, board President Kari Dillon said the bids violated the terms and conditions that the school set forth. But she did not give specifics. (A spokeswoman said Tuesday morning that neither company submitted the required earnest money in a timely manner, as outlined in the terms and conditions.)

She said the school's lawyer advised the board to reject the bids.

"The board will continue to accept offers, communicate and negotiate with potential buyers in the coming weeks in order to achieve our overall goal of selling the property," Dillon said.

The proceeds, she said, would be used to upgrade the school's two old campuses.

The property would remain for sale at the minimum price of $55 million, Dillon said. Bridge Industrial, an international company, bid $55 million earlier this month, while San Francisco-based Prologis fell short at $46.5 million.

Burr Ridge resident Stephanie Farmer, a parent of students at Pleasantdale Elementary, questioned the sale.

"Our school shut down when there was a scare at the UPS facility," Farmer told the board. "That is the industrial zone where we didn't want it 30 years ago. I was 5 when that happened. This is where our kids play."

She said she knew the Pleasantdale school district doesn't figure much at Lyons Township High School.

"When we graduated Pleasantdale, we had just under 100 kids go to LT from Pleasantdale," Farmer said. "I get that we are not your largest constituency. I just want you to reconsider."

Mary Oheron, a La Grange resident, also urged the school not to sell. A sale, she said, would conflict with the school's core values.

"Selling environmental resources to developers is not a core value," Oheron said. "Think about the impact of your decision. How do you explain the loss of an ecosystem in our community to current and former students?"

Julie Workman, a lawyer who lives in La Grange, said she would not want industrial uses next to her house, saying she couldn't agree more with the crowd.

At the same time, Workman said she saw the sale as a "wonderful opportunity to make money off of this underutilized land – unutilized land, frankly."

"You're a seller. You have a duty to sell the land for as much as you can," Workman said. "If it's not going to be industrial, then it should be something else."

However, residential builders are not taking on new projects now, she said. As a zoning attorney, she said she represents national home builders that have canceled all their contracts.

"I would love to see the money put to good use in these facilities before my kids have graduated," Workman said.

When she concluded, a man yelled, "You're in La Grange?"

She said she was, to which he said with likely sarcasm, "Thanks!"

"You're welcome," she replied.

Matt Metrik, a Willow Springs resident, argued against selling.

"This board has many tasks in support of its students, in representing its community," Metrik said. "I do not believe seeking the ultimate profit on any particular asset should be its only goal. Certainly, the value must be considered, but also the impact on the residents in the community that it exists in must be considered as well. I strongly disagree with how the board has operated its existing process."

School officials say they would not be involved in the zoning process, which is Willow Springs' jurisdiction.

The school bought the land in two phases in the 1950s and 1960s, with the aim of building another campus. That was in a time of increasing enrollment. However, in the last four decades, enrollment has stabilized.