Lincoln-Way North Could Be Multi-Agency Headquarters: Lawmaker

FRANKFORT, IL — A state senator is pitching the shuttered Lincoln-Way North High School building as a potential multi-agency center. Sen. Michael Hastings and other officials looked at the school as a possible new headquarters for the Illinois State Police's District 5 recently, according to the senator, and other agencies are being considered as well.

The relatively new building, on South Harlem Avenue, was built after a 2006 referendum and closed for the 2016-2017 school year to cut costs. The decision brought a lawsuit from parents.

"When the board decided to close [the school], it caused a lot of consternation, and rightfully so," Hastings told Patch. "Taxpayers spent hard-earned money to build a beautiful school... it's a hard pill to swallow."

With 13,330 votes, a 2006 referendum to build two new schools, Lincoln-Way North and Lincoln-Way West, passed by just over 60 percent. It was a $225 million bond approval.

Years later, the recession damaged the area's housing market, lowering the school's attendance, the Herald-News reported. The outlet reported the school district had about 7,000 students, over 3,000 fewer than projected.

School officials lately have been deciding whether to sell the building. According to Jen Hannon, spokesperson for the district, offers would be discussed during open session of a Board of Education meeting. She added an October 2018 evaluation of Lincoln-Way North priced the building at $15,860,000, plus the land value of $4,140,000.

Hastings visited the building in June with Superintendent Scott Tingley, School Board President Joe Kirkeeng and representatives of the Illinois State Police (ISP), according to a statement released by the senator.

The ISP's District 5 headquarters in Lockport is undergoing required maintenance, according to a release from the agency. Flooding caused mold in the building and when they were removing the mold, asbestos was found. The headquarters was temporarily closed, but needs more renovations like plumbing, new drop ceilings, access entry systems and more.

For years, police officials have been looking for a building capable of sustaining a headquarters and a forensic sciences lab. This would improve DNA testing turnaround time, police told Patch, to help victims of crimes get the "justice they deserve."

Hastings said if the building becomes the new police headquarters, there would be a strong economic impact to the area.

"Having a district headquarters located at Lincoln Way North would immediately impact the Vollmer Road and Harlem Avenue corridor," he said in the statement. Hundreds or thousands of jobs "would be created along with a significant police presence in the area," he said, and told Patch that access to the highway is a definite benefit to the location.

Hastings told Patch that planners have been speaking with agencies which normally work closely with the state police, like the departments of human services, public health, emergency management, natural resources and others.

The school is too big for just a state police headquarters, Hastings said, and they wouldn't use all of the facilities.

One example, he said, is the pool. The ISP doesn't use pools for training, but the Department of Natural Resources does. If the building became home to multiple agencies, Hastings said, the facilities would be better put to use.

There was plenty of pushback from the district's parents, Hastings told Patch. He said it's best to look at all of the options available and "kinda silly" and a "myopic, ill-informed decision" not to.

Jen Hannon, spokesperson for the district, sent this statement on the topic to Patch:

Several entities have expressed interest in the North building over the last few years. The District has received no offers after an initial walk through. If the District received an offer to purchase the building, the first step would be to obtain a legal opinion from the bond attorney. If the sale were permissible, a municipal advisor would conduct a cost-benefit analysis for the Board of Education to consider. Any deliberation of an offer to purchase the building would take place in open session during a Board of Education meeting.

See more on Patch:

• Lincoln-Way North Could Sell: School Districts Express Interest
• Lincoln-Way 210 Board Opts to Close Lincoln-Way North
• Lincoln-Way Parents Sue to Stop LW North High from Closing
• Ex-LW D210 Supt. Lawrence Wyllie's Fraud Trial Delayed

In September 2017, a year after the school closed, Lawrence Wyllie, the former superintendent of Lincoln-Way High School District, was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of embezzlement in relation to accusations of him misusing school district bond money. But health problems have caused the courts to delay the 80-year-old's trial.

See Sen. Hastings's full statement below:

For those interested in LW North:

On June 27, 2019, my office initiated and coordinated a visit with Lincoln Way High School District 210’s Superintendent, Dr. Scott Tingley, School Board President, Joe Kirkeeng & the Illinois State Police (ISP)

In attendance were myself, Mr. Kirkeeng, Director Kelly from ISP, Assistant Superintendent Brad Cauffmann, Lincoln Way Building & Grounds staff & ISP command team.

The purpose of the visit was to see if there was an opportunity to relocate District 5 headquarters and potentially consolidate other leased spaces into one facility.

Additionally, the property was looked at to evaluate whether it could support a brand new state of the art forensics lab. Overall, ISP was overwhelmed by the excellent condition of the building, professionalism of the staff and the potential for the property.

However, this is just the beginning of the process & there are many steps to getting this accomplished.

Since the last visit, my office and ISP have reached out to other state agencies to gain further interest and build synergies that compliment ISPs mission.

State agencies contacted were: Central Management Services, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Public Health. After our initial contact, a lot of them have expressed interest in follow up visits.

The economic impact of this cannot be understated. Having a district headquarters located at Lincoln Way North would immediately impact the Vollmer Road and Harlem Avenue corridor. Hundreds of not thousand jobs would be created along with a significant police presence in the area.

As the state continues its due diligence, I will be sure to keep everyone as informed as I can. If anyone has any questions, you can contact my office.

(... and for the conspiracy theorists out there, attached is a picture to prove the visit happened)

Correction: This article misstated the names of the schools included in the referendum.