Elk Grove District 59 still will build on Lively land
The Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59 school board Monday night maintained its decision to build a new two-story administration center on land it owns and sell other property to help fund it, even though one board member wanted to change his vote.
The board voted 4-3 on Feb. 22 to pursue construction of administrative offices, a professional development center and a warehouse on a portion of land that once contained Lively Junior High School in Elk Grove Village.
But board member Tim Burns, the tiebreaking vote, sought to change his original vote Monday because a track and soccer fields behind the new building weren't officially part of the deal.
Superintendent Art Fessler said Burns could make a motion for the board to reconsider its vote, but he needed another board member to second the motion.
Burns made that motion, but there was no second, so it failed.
Board President Sharon Roberts said she's not opposed to considering a track and soccer fields but wants to see a long-term district capital projects budget plan first.
Board member Barbara Somogyi said she wants to see plans for how large of a footprint the track and fields would take up.
The new 30,000-square-foot administration building at 999 Leicester Road, just west of the Elk Grove Park District's Pavilion, is proposed to take up one-third on the eight acres of open land District 59 owns.
Officials have said the park district would still be able to use some of the land for soccer fields, as it has since 2001, per an intergovernmental agreement.
What's still undetermined is whether the soccer fields would be synthetic turf or natural grass. With the proposed rubberized running track, the estimated costs are $750,000 to $1.5 million.
A separate vote on whether a track and soccer fields should be part of development of the Lively site is expected April 25.
On April 14, the board is expected to formally vote to sell two properties it owns: its current two-story administration building at 2123 S. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights, and the neighboring vacant property at 2121 S. Arlington Heights Road that once contained Wellington banquets.
Construction of the new administration building is estimated to cost anywhere from $8 million to $11 million - depending on whether a kitchen to prepare student lunches is included in building plans.
Officials have said they believe a sale of the two properties on Arlington Heights Road could fetch at least $4 million, since that's what the properties were appraised for.
The remaining $4 million or more in costs would be paid for using the district's reserve funds, which currently sit at $123 million.
Design of the new building is expected to begin soon, with construction underway by October. The building is scheduled to be complete by July 2017.