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Mundelein High board could sell Village Green Golf Club

Mundelein High School officials are weighing several options for a golf course the district owns, including selling it, an administrator said.

Other possibilities for the Village Green Golf Club, which is at Midlothian and Winchester roads in Mundelein, include keeping the property or selling part of it, school Business Manager Andy Searle said.

Mundelein High's finance and facilities committee met Wednesday to talk about the future of the site. The school board will discuss the matter Oct. 14, Searle said.

Mundelein High officials bought the 96-acre course in 2004, intending to use the land for a second building or athletic fields as enrollment rose. It's a short drive from the school, which is on Hawley Street at Midlothian Road.

But the student population didn't increase as projected, so golfers have been able to continue to play the course.

Village Green is operated by a private company that gives the district a percentage of revenue, at least $50,000 annually. That contract expires in 2016.

During Wednesday's discussion, committee members reviewed the district's space needs, enrollment projections, building capacity and facility plans, Searle said.

About 2,075 students attend classes this term, matching the recommended maximum enrollment for the campus. That's down from a peak of more than 2,300 students in the 2008-09 school year, but it's still more bodies than district leaders say is the ideal total.

"Our current site is undersized for the number of students we have," Searle said. "Our current site is 38.25 acres, and the state recommends 51 acres for our enrollment."

Even so, officials don't necessarily need the Village Green land for a second building or fields, Searle said.

Mundelein High students use fields at nearby Sandburg Middle School for soccer, softball and lacrosse, he said.

Officials paid $8.4 million for the land, securing a loan for the deal. About $5.2 million in debt remains, Searle said.

The site's current value isn't known.

"(We) intend to get an appraisal," he said.

Mundelein school officials extend golf course lease

Mundelein High officials to talk future of golf course

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