Dist. 59 wants public's input on whether to build or sell
Elk Grove Township District 59 officials are planning community forums and an online survey to gauge the public's feedback on whether to sell or build on properties the district owns.
School board members have already been talking behind closed doors about whether to sell or develop the former Wellington property, located next to the district's administration center in Arlington Heights, and the former Lively Junior High School site, located south of the Elk Grove Park District Pavilion.
Now they plan to have those discussions in public.
Superintendent Art Fessler said Monday one option being considered is to sell the administration center building at 2123 S. Arlington Heights Road and vacant Wellington site next door. Then the district could use proceeds from a sale to build a new administration center at the 8-acre Lively site, now used by the park district for soccer fields.
The school board purchased the Wellington for $1.8 million in July 2013, and after deciding the building didn't suit any of the district's needs, decided to have it demolished.
Fessler said another option is to make renovations to the current administration building that would improve training space for teachers and staff. The Wellington site, meanwhile, could be paved over, making a new parking lot, and lighting and green space added.
An option lower on the priority list, Fessler said, would be to demolish the current administration center and build a new one there.
If the school board decides not to sell any of the properties or build anything new, the district will at least plan to upgrade the Wellington site, Fessler said.
Currently, a gravel lot sits where the old 22,000-square-foot restaurant and banquet building was.
As for the Lively property, Tony Rossi, District 59's executive director of facilities and operations, recently met with Elk Grove Park District Executive Director Tom Busby to discuss potential development of the site.
The park and school districts have an intergovernmental agreement that allows park programs to use the space.
Fessler said the park district would prefer the site to remain as open space, though additional parking and restrooms would be a benefit.
Board member Tim Burns said at Monday's school board meeting he's concerned development of the site would hinder park district programming.
Board member Mardell Schumacher said the property could be a good location for townhouses.
Construction of a new district administration building, if approved, would be a couple years away, Fessler said.
But a decision on whether to do it is expected soon because the real estate market is good, he added.
That's why district leaders are turning to the public for feedback on their proposals.
Board members, at an upcoming meeting in November, are expected to have a work session to formalize what they will bring to the public, such as conceptual drawings of a new administration building and cost considerations.
Then, listening sessions would be scheduled and an online survey would be available for the public to provide their opinions on which steps the district should take.