Dist. 220 goes through with land buy next to Barrington High

The Barrington Area Unit School District 220 board voted Wednesday morning at an emergency meeting to approve the purchase of 20.75 acres of land adjacent to Barrington High School for $2.35 million.

The acquisition nets the district 7.7 usable acres from Flint Creek Crossing, a commercial subdivision, and 13.8 acres of the Flint Creek Conservation Area west of Hart Road.

It was déjà vu for board members who found themselves in a situation Wednesday morning that was similar to one they were in on New Year's Eve 2013. On that day, they voted to accept the donation of 11.25 acres, also west of Hart Road, given to the district by Tom Wamberg, the same man who sold them land Wednesday.

Wamberg could not be reached for comment at his office Wednesday.

With the purchase complete, the land bought in 2014 and donated in 2013 combine to give the district 32 contiguous acres. The existing campus east of Hart Road is 72 acres.

Superintendent Brian Harris said there is no plan in place on how to use the land.

"Now that we've secured much of the land across Hart Road, we look forward to a community discussion about future possibilities for our high school campus," Harris said.

The emergency meeting was called by the district on Tuesday. By law, 48 hours' notice must be given before a public meeting, unless there is an emergency.

Harris said the meeting was scheduled on Tuesday after the district received revisions to an 80-page document from Flint Creek Crossing officials outlining the terms and conditions they requested be applied to the land. Details weren't immediately available but included things like types of lighting that would be allowed.

Harris said Wamberg requested that the sale go through before the end of the year.

"We worked very hard to be able to meet (Wamberg's request) so we could get the sale price we negotiated," Harris said.

The board voted 4-1 in favor of purchasing the land. The lone dissenter was Chris Guyer, who said he was not comfortable with the restrictions that Flint Creek officials placed on the land.

Harris said he was comfortable with the terms, which he said allow district officials the latitude to do what they need to do with the land.