Lyons Township High Privately Agonized Over Land Swap

LA GRANGE, IL – For months in 2022, the Lyons Township High School board met secretly about a $65 million offer from a big industrial developer for the school's Willow Springs land.

The goal was to keep the public out of the loop as long as possible.

That objective included other area government bodies – the village of Willow Springs, Pleasant Dale Park District and Pleasantdale School District 107, which has a school next to the high school's 70 acres.

Unknowingly, the elementary school and park districts threw a curveball in October 2022.

That became known with the release last month of the high school board's closed-door recordings. The disclosure was a result of an attorney general's opinion, which found the board broke the state's open meetings law.

In an October 2022 closed session, Superintendent Brian Waterman told the school board that District 107's superintendent, Dave Palzet, suggested a land swap involving the Willow Springs site.

The high school's wooded land is southwest of 79th Street and Willow Springs Road. The site is largely rectangular with a few park district acres on the east side, jutting out into the high school's land.

The park district apparently was looking to swap its land for acres near the elementary school on the west side. There, the elementary district could build its long-desired early childhood center, which would include the park district's administrative office.

In the closed meeting, officials said the developer with the $65 million offer, Bridge Industrial, liked the site even more with the swap.

But board members feared an exchange would delay the bidding for the land. They said they wanted to get it done before the April 2023 school board election, saying a new board may stop a sale.

During meetings in October and November, board members agonized over what to tell the school district. They did not want to reveal Bridge's offer.

Then-member Julie Swinehart said it was "pretty suspicious" that the elementary district was approaching with the idea while the board was in private talks about its land.

"I don't know if we have been asked about our land until we're in talks," she said.

Waterman put a damper on Swinehart's suspicions.

"We've been asked about the land repeatedly," he said.

Board members Michael Thomas and Alison Kelly expressed concern about swapping land without telling the other public bodies about the high school's plan to sell to an industrial buyer.

"You would have all of these monster trucks coming through and traffic," Thomas said. "That just doesn't make sense."

As it was, board members had been warned for months that neighbors would oppose selling the land for industrial uses, which Willow Springs regulations banned. The board's lawyer assured members that a developer would have a good chance to change zoning.

In the November meeting, board President Kari Dillon said Arlene Cabana, her counterpart on the elementary school board, contacted her about the land swap.

Dillon said she wanted to be "collaborative," but the high school was between a "rock and a hard place."

"Do we owe anybody anything? No, probably not," Dillon said. "I know we want to make sure we cross our t's and dot our i's."

On Nov. 30, 2022, nine days after the meeting, the high school issued a news release about its plan to sell the land. But it said nothing about the $65 million unsolicited offer or the desire to sell to an industrial developer.

The other public bodies learned about the plan along with everyone else.

High school board members have not returned messages for comment about the recordings. But Cabana, District 107's former board president, did.

Cabana, who is running for the Lyons Township High board in the April 1 election, said her district was frustrated with the lack of information. District 107 expressed concern about the effects on students' health of a next-door truck terminal.

She said she was happy that the high school planned to gear the bidding process for developers interested in following local zoning.

She also praised the high school's current president, Jill Grech, who joined the board in 2021, took the helm last April and decided against running for a second term.

"I believe they have good leadership now. Jill Grech has been very transparent," Cabana said. "She's making the right choices."

The other public bodies tried to get a meeting with high school officials after the November 2022 announcement, but were unable to. At the time, the high school countered that it proposed alternative times to meet.

"My community was worried and upset. That's why we got really involved," Cabana said. "As frustrating as it was, there were some positive things that came out of it. The leaders of the communities have a stronger relationship. We all have sustained, common goals."

She said she was glad the board released the recordings.

"That's a big step and a very commendable thing to do," Cabana said. "It's sad to see (Grech) go."

After the local uproar, the board pulled the plug on the effort in March 2023, just weeks ahead of the board election. The two incumbents running were re-elected.

The board is still looking to sell the land, but not to an industrial developer. It has held discussions in public.

Recordings of the closed sessions are available on the "Neighbors of Pleasantdale" YouTube page.