LTHS Officials Unsure Whether To Sell Land

LA GRANGE, IL – Earlier this year, the Lyons Township High School board appeared determined to sell its 70 acres in Willow Springs to an industrial developer, despite opposition from neighbors and other public bodies.

Privately, an attorney told the board that the Willow Springs Village Board would be hard-pressed legally to reject industrial development, even though local zoning rules had long barred such uses.

What a difference a half year makes.

At Monday's school board meeting, three of the seven members – Tim Albores, Jill Beda Daniels and Kari Dillon – told their colleagues they were unsure whether they even wanted to sell the land now.

Lately, school officials have been seeking proposals from land-use consultants to represent the school as Willow Springs conducts a study of the property.

Albores, who was elected in April, said that before members do anything, they need to see whether they agree about the need to sell.

"It may make sense to have that resolved before we go all in on it," he said.

He is the only member who is on record opposing selling to an industrial developer.

Daniels said she did not have her mind made up about whether to sell. But she said a land-use consultant should be the board's voice during the village's hearings on the land. That way, she said, the school can preserve its right to sell in the future.

Dillon agreed.

"I don't know how I feel about selling or not selling the land," she said.

As she has stated before, board President Dawn Aubert said it would be crucial to get an appraisal for the land under its current zoning, which allows housing and small retailers. Last year, the school got an appraisal for industrial purposes, which was in response to an offer from developer Bridge Industrial.

The land in question is next to a school, houses, a park, a country club and a UPS facility. The village has placed a moratorium on the property through March.

Earlier this summer, the board decided to take a new approach to the land. This followed the state-ordered release of the board's January closed-door recordings in which members discussed the land sale.

Such matters must be discussed in the open under state law.