What LTHS Kept Secret About Proposed Sale

LA GRANGE, IL – Lyons Township High School officials say they have been open about the proposed sale of the school's land in Willow Springs.

Here's what they did not tell the public: They have been in communication with the high bidder at least since last March.

That was more than eight months before they told the public they were interested in selling.

Another thing: They geared the minimum price of $55 million toward industrial developers. So it was no accident that the only bidders were Bridge Industrial and Prologis, both specializing in industrial projects.

The board's effort was in spite of Willow Springs' zoning code, which bars industrial development on the wooded land at 79th Street and Willow Springs Road.

Willow Springs officials said they had no idea what was coming until the school board's Nov. 30 letter to the public about its interest in selling. They said they have struggled to get a meeting with school representatives. Less than three weeks after the letter, the school board went out to bid.

In an email to Patch on Wednesday, Superintendent Brian Waterman said it took eight months of due diligence after Bridge Industrial's letter of interest with an inaccurate site description. He said the school followed the process under state law.

After the school announced its interest in selling Nov. 30, Waterman said, it began an exploratory period, in which it communicated with the village of Willow Springs, Pleasant Dale Park District and Pleasantdale School District 107.

"It would have been premature for (the high school) to begin communicating on a potential property sale without first having completed its own due diligence process," Waterman said.

Through a public records request, Patch on Tuesday obtained Bridge Industrial's offer for the property March 15 and the appraisal of the property last May.

In the March letter, Bridge Industrial, the high bidder earlier this month at $55 million, offered $65 million for the property. It said it would put down $250,000 in earnest money.

An appraisal was done in May by William Enright of Hinsdale-based Appraisal Associates. It assessed the property at $68 million. But that was for industrial uses of the land.

The appraiser noted the zoning for the property was for housing and small retailers. Industrial is specifically prohibited.

"While rezoning to allow industrial use may be possible, there is no assurance that the community would support this use," the appraiser wrote in his 55-page report.

Willow Springs' village administrator said this week the village had no intention to allow industrial uses on the property. Residents protested the school's attempt to sell to an industrial developer.

Both Bridge Industrial and the appraiser listed the property as being 80 acres. It is actually 71, the school now says.

In an email Tuesday, the school's spokeswoman, Mary Lin Muscolino, said officials did not take into account the amount of acreage in the parcel that the school does not own.

The Pleasant Dale Park District says it owns 7 acres of the land.

On Nov. 30, a letter from the school board was posted to the school's website, saying it had "exciting news" to share.

The board said it was considering a "potential" sale of the Willow Springs land. Most of the rest of the letter was about the school's intention to use the proceeds for building projects.

Those projects include modernizing classrooms, adding air conditioning, developing "collaborative" learning spaces, upgrading accessibility, and improving athletic and wellness areas.

The board also announced it created a separate website for information on the process.

The website consists of the Nov. 30 letter, the terms of the property sale, the board president's statement at Monday's meeting, and a frequently-asked-questions page.

As of Wednesday, the website did not include the appraisal, the March offer letter or even the two bids that the school received.

On Monday, the board rejected the two bids, saying they did not conform with the terms. But the board said it would continue negotiations.