D161 Sells Shuttered Arbury Hills To Prayer Center Of Orland For $1.9M

MOKENA, IL — The shuttered Arbury Hills School has gone to the highest bidder, with officials this week signing off on the sale.

Summit Hill District 161 Board of Education members voted Wednesday to sell the property for $1.9 million to The Prayer Center of Orland Park, an Islamic worship center that was one of two parties who sought to purchase the property. With a minimum asking price of $1.75 million, officials conducted the sale via sealed bids. Also bidding on the property was Frankfort-based Chicago Autism Academy, with an offer of $1.76 million.

The sale went to the highest bid. District officials have not said how they plan to use the proceeds.

The Prayer Center of Orland Park aims "to worship God through serving people in all their spiritual, educational and social needs by developing and empowering our community on the values of faith, justice and equality."

The center's leadership plans to keep the building a school, using the space for early childhood education classes, as well as adult education, including teaching English and Arabic.

"We're so happy," said Mohammed Nofal, Prayer Center board member and its attorney. "It's a beautiful building."

Nofal said the prayer center had originally hoped to expand on its current campus in Orland Park, but construction costs deemed that unfeasible. They'd been looking for other buildings for years, but location always proved difficult. They wanted any expansion building to be as close as possible to the current campus, he said.

"We looked at other buildings,"Nofal said. "They either needed too much, or they were too expensive."

He estimates Arbury Hills is less than a 10-minute drive, and the building will require minimal updates.

"It’s a large building, more than what we need," Nofal said. "It kinda fell in our lap."

He said many of the center's members are from Mokena, New Lenox, Frankfort, Tinley Park, and Orland Park.

"We’re very excited, happy to provide these services to our community members," Nofal said.

Citing declining enrollment while voting to close Arbury Hills and Frankfort Square School, district officials late last year said it would either sell the properties or work with community partners to use the space rather than allow the buildings to sit empty.

"We are so happy," Nofal said, of the center acquiring the property. "Nobody wants to see a school close, nor do you want to see a building empty and just sitting there.

"We’re happy that this building’s not going to miss a beat."

Now in progress are plans for the use of Frankfort Square School. McDermott said the district is in talks with the Frankfort Square Park District, which would potentially lease-to-own the property.

"There is no deal set yet, we are working on it," McDermott told Patch. "We are hoping to have something to present to the Board by the August meeting."

The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Aug. 21.