Costs would be high for possible new Dist. 121 athletic fields

Roadway improvements and other work that has the potential to reach $1 million would be necessary for Warren Township High School to develop athletic fields on a section of 100 acres northwest of Gurnee Mills.

John Anderson, president of the Gurnee-based Warren District 121 board, addressed the possibility of fields for the general community and eventually students at a meeting Tuesday. The session included a brief overview from an engineering firm representative.

"One of the things that came out with our new land, of course, was there was some talk about how people can use it for athletic fields, potentially even before we have it. That conversation was going on in parts of the community," Anderson said.

Last month, a District 121 board majority agreed to borrow about $8 million to buy the 100 acres near Stearns School Road and Mill Creek Drive northwest of the mall. Officials said having the land would allow for proper planning.

It turned out the high school wound up with 50 acres on the same site that Warren Township government had planned to purchase for athletic fields and a preserve.

Almost 300 voters at a town-hall meeting in October 2009 approved the township's plan to buy the 50 acres.

At Tuesday's school board meeting, Michael Shrake of the Gewalt Hamilton Inc. engineering firm said Stearns School Road improvements would be required for an entrance to be built to access any fields on the unincorporated property.

Shrake estimated upgrades to Stearns School could cost $500,000 to $600,000, along with the expenses for the access road and site grading.

"We're going to be at a million bucks," Anderson said. "You can see that."

Anderson said he wants residents to know the potentially significant costs that could be involved with turning some of the school district's 100 acres into sports fields.

Nearly one year ago, representatives from youth football, baseball, lacrosse, soccer and cheer squads made pitches at the township meeting in support of buying the 50 acres for athletic use.

Most cited long waiting lists for children who want to play organized sports but can't because of a lack of Gurnee-area fields.