Addison families 'devastated' by Dist. 88 condemnation

Several Addison homeowners are fighting the condemnation of their homes by DuPage High School District 88, land it needs to build a drainage pond.

To accommodate stormwater runoff on the north end of Addison Trail High School, district officials say they need to acquire Robert and Bridget Zielinski's property along Dale Road, as well three of their neighbors' residential properties along Lombard Road.

District 88 already has spent $700,000 to buy a home along Dale Road that sits on three lots and $400,000 to purchase another home along Lombard Road.

The retention pond is part of District 88's Building the Future plan, which includes major renovations to both Addison Trail and Willowbrook high schools.

Voters last year gave the district permission to borrow $104.7 million for the work. However, school officials say that money isn't being used to buy the homes because officials only recently learned that DuPage County requires construction of the retention pond.

"As we got into the permitting process, we learned we need water retention to accommodate runoff from the new roof on the field house and from repaving the parking lot," said Superintendent Stephen Humphrey. "Permitting has evolved over the years, requiring more space to accommodate water like we had over the weekend (of Sept. 13)."

Instead, the money for the land acquisition is coming from the school's operations and maintenance fund.

With two homes sold, the remaining homeowners - who officially learned of District 88's intent to buy in January - are fighting the district's offers in court.

The families say they want to stay put and argue their homes are worth more.

"We are looking for a fair price to replace the house we have," said Robert Zielinski, whose 15-year-old son, Jason, attends Addison Trail. "Most residents here are empty-nesters, and this will be a big expense for them and for us. There are closing costs, attorney fees, appraisal fees and moving fees that the school district is not considering. It's not a cheap thing to go through, especially when you don't want to move."

Vernon Hills attorney Robert O'Donnell represents all the homeowners resisting District 88's offer ­- the Zielinskis, Joseph and Trudy Nowak, Zofia Jajko and James and Sharon Fulmer.

O'Donnell said the best outcome would be for each of his clients to get a fair price for their houses, especially considering falling real estate prices in the slumping housing market. He and his clients wouldn't reveal District 88's current offers.

"(The offer) just falls short," he said. "It doesn't adequately compensate the homeowners for what's being taken."

In June, District 88 filed legal notices of condemnation, O'Donnell said. But before them, the families already had received letters from the district saying they must leave their homes by Jan. 1.

"The court establishes the time frame. The school district doesn't," O'Donnell said. "The prospect of moving in the middle of winter and displacing children in the middle of the school year is not attractive. No trial dates are even set."

Even if the families have their way in court, the Zielinskis, Nowaks and Fulmers said there is no way to compensate losing their homes of 15, 31 and 30 years, respectively.

"We thought we would stay here forever because this is a ranch ... and we didn't expect to be moving anywhere at our age," Trudy Nowak said. "It's like taking away our lives, not just our house."

Nowak and her husband moved her 85-year-old mother, Zofia Jajko, into the house next door in recent years. They all live across the street from Nowak's sister and near Nowak's son, his family and their in-laws.

"It was such a good situation," she said.

Sharon Fulmer said she and her husband are "devastated" by this situation, and, through tears, recalls raising her four children who all graduated from Addison Trail High School in their current home.

"Even if they pay us, it doesn't compensate for how we feel," Fulmer said. "I almost feel as if I have been violated."

Robert Zielinski said he wonders why District 88 officials need their homes and can't build on existing school land. Humphrey said other alternatives would cause Addison Trail to lose property and proved too expensive.

"Expense was a factor, but we don't have any open land," Humphrey said. "Every inch of the school's open land is fields used for practice and competitions. It's a very tight footprint that's been the same since we opened the building. And when the school opened in '66, it was just boys sports. With girls sports now, we've more than doubled the activities.

"There are probably strategies that involve putting storage tanks underground and so on, but those are very costly and would result in losing land," Humphrey said.

Fulmer said she thinks voters would have rejected Building the Future if they knew the project would require taking people's homes.

Robert Zielinski said his family feels tricked after they voted in favor of the measure last year, even if referendum funds aren't being used for the retention pond. "How do you think my son feels walking inside those doors every day?," Zielinski said. "We've been part of the community and we do things for the school. This is a school district that is supposed to be teaching and protecting kids, not kicking them out."