Mooseheart purchase plan officially dead

Time ran out for the Batavia school district to collect $5 million to buy Mooseheart land on Tuesday.

Voters approved the funds in 2003 so the school district could expand the high school campus. But by state statute, that money has to be levied within five years.

Since then, negotiations had been unsuccessful and the district backtracked from an unpopular eminent domain plan.

"Several years ago there was an ideal vision for something there," said Batavia school board President Ron Link. "But there were a lot of variables and players involved to make this happen. All the stars never did quite line up."

Link said he wants to focus on expansions to the district's buildings made possible by a $75 million referendum vote last year.

That money is separate from the 2003 vote.

The vision for the land was a joint school/park district venture including an auditorium, field house and sports fields that could be used by community members and students.

In 2001, Mooseheart was having financial problems and floated the idea of selling some land on its campus between North Aurora and Batavia. Both the school district and park districts were interested.

But Mooseheart recovered financially and officials said the land was no longer for sale.

In the meantime, the school district had gotten voters' approval for the $5 million to buy Mooseheart land to expand.

Batavia school and park officials persevered and in 2006 authorized negotiations that included the possibility of eminent domain.

Officials eventually reversed that decision, citing public complaints on that strategy. School board member Jeff Glaser quit over the issue, saying he didn't want to be associated with such a move.

All of the groups involved resumed negotiations late last year but remained tight-lipped about their progress.

Eventually the groups ran out of time with all the procedures and paperwork that would have to be completed and filed, Superintendent Jack Barshinger said.

"We knew the timeline wouldn't be met," he said.

So the $5 million will go uncollected from taxpayers.

A major problem for the school district in its expansion plans -- and an impetus for needing Mooseheart land -- was that it didn't have the needed space for the extra storm water detention it was required to have with a larger campus.

But last year consultants told the board the requirements had been misunderstood and the work could be completed on Batavia's site.

Barshinger said the district would still be interested in a contract, but didn't foresee a deal "in the immediate future."

The school district could use money from the recent $75 million referendum or run another referendum to get the funds, plans Link isn't in favor of.

Taking money from the $75 million referendum would have to come at the expense of a project voters approved, he said.

As for a new referendum, "I think the community is not going to have the tolerance for hearing about Mooseheart in another referendum," Link said.

"I know as a community member, I don't."