Hubble site minimum bid: $10 million
Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 officials set a minimum bid of $10 million for the auction to sell off the old Hubble Middle School site after an appraisal set the land's value at that price.
The bid request announced Wednesday also sets forth several conditions that potential buyers must meet, including an expectation to make a “good-faith effort” to work with the Wheaton Park District to use public green space and enhance or preserve existing athletic fields.
Additionally, the buyer will have to agree not to seek a tax increment financing district related to this property, a move aimed at ensuring future increases in equalized assessed value will be returned to the city and school district's tax rolls.
Officials will open bids April 14 and the winning buyer will then have 180 days to secure any necessary special-use permits or zoning changes.
More than 20 residents showed up at the special meeting and six residents made a final plea to try to persuade board members to agree to a park district request to delay the auction for 60 days. But board members moved forward and stressed that they were not rushing anything, noting that the building on the site has been vacant for about 18 months and cost the school district $227,000 just on maintenance.
“For some to think that this is a rush to sale, it reminds me of a situation where, if you have a buyer and have a number of people interested, why wouldn't you capitalize on their excitement?” said board member Ken Knicker. “We have this available and there is interest in it. I'm very positive about moving ahead with the sealed bid.”
The open of the auction puts a close to any hopes park district officials had of buying the property outright without having to enter a bidding war.
Board President Andy Johnson said measures proposed by the park district would have adversely affected the school district's ability to get the highest price for the land, which sits on the highly visible northwest corner of Naperville and Roosevelt roads and gets thousands of hours of annual use from the park district. The park district recently asked for a right of first refusal, meaning they would be able to top any winning bid.
“Would you even submit the bid if you knew another entity could just add a dollar and take the bid?” Johnson said.
He also said a recent park district request to delay the auction 60 days would only mean more money diverted toward maintenance on the building.
“That's $50,000 of our collective money that is not being spent on educating kids and teaching and learning,” he said.
Before a formal discussion was held, several Wheaton residents asked the board one last time to reconsider.
Mari Lamesch said the board's insistence that the site go to auction was not consistent with the message she has heard from the school district during her time in Wheaton.
“As the school board has been telling me for 47 years, children should be first,” she said. “It seems to me that this school board is saying the money should be first. Let the park board give you an offer to use the land for our children.”
However, school officials said the park district has never been prohibited from bidding and they still hope to work with the park district.