Post by doctorwho on Jul 11, 2007 5:41:40 GMT -6
District 204 set to move on new high school if land deal reached
July 11, 2007
By BRITT CARSON Staff writer
If a deal comes through on the land for Metea Valley High School, Indian Prairie School District 204 officials are ready to move ahead with bids for part of the project.
While legislators continue to meet in Springfield on the quick-take issue, the district stands poised to approve bids for groundwork for the school. School board president Mark Metzger said the board has blocked off July 23 for a possible meeting if the quick-take authority was granted before then.
Quick-take authority would enable the school district to take immediate possession of the land and let a jury later decide the price. The one-time authority has to be granted by the state legislature, and although it has approval from the House, it has been stalled in the Senate.
District 204 is seeking 55 acres of land commonly known as the Brach-Brodie property, along 75th Street and the future extension of Commons Drive in Aurora. The district already owns the adjacent 25 acres and wants to build the 3,000 seat Metea Valley High School on the 80 acres.
If quick-take powers don't come through, the condemnation lawsuit for the land will go to trial in September in DuPage County court.
Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, and Sen. Randy Hultgren, R-Wheaton, met with lobbyists Tuesday from the Brach-Brodie Trust. Holmes said before the meeting that the school district had made great strides toward her requests. The school board recently passed a resolution saying they would not seek another referendum to fund the construction of the high school.
"There are a lot of different pieces involved, but I am glad to say at this point we have tackled and handled them, and we will continue to progress," Holmes said.
However, she said, despite District 204 officials and Brach-Brodie representatives making strides, lobbyists from the trust were not necessarily comfortable moving forward. Hultgren, who sat in for part of the meeting Tuesday, agrees.
"We are still working very hard, and our preference is to have everyone in agreement, but if we get the sense that some are disagreeable and not open to reasonable negotiations, then we will push forward," Hultgren said. "If we sense that not all parties may be negotiating in good faith, or not involved in active negotiations, then we may still move ahead. I think we are close on things."
July 11, 2007
By BRITT CARSON Staff writer
If a deal comes through on the land for Metea Valley High School, Indian Prairie School District 204 officials are ready to move ahead with bids for part of the project.
While legislators continue to meet in Springfield on the quick-take issue, the district stands poised to approve bids for groundwork for the school. School board president Mark Metzger said the board has blocked off July 23 for a possible meeting if the quick-take authority was granted before then.
Quick-take authority would enable the school district to take immediate possession of the land and let a jury later decide the price. The one-time authority has to be granted by the state legislature, and although it has approval from the House, it has been stalled in the Senate.
District 204 is seeking 55 acres of land commonly known as the Brach-Brodie property, along 75th Street and the future extension of Commons Drive in Aurora. The district already owns the adjacent 25 acres and wants to build the 3,000 seat Metea Valley High School on the 80 acres.
If quick-take powers don't come through, the condemnation lawsuit for the land will go to trial in September in DuPage County court.
Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, and Sen. Randy Hultgren, R-Wheaton, met with lobbyists Tuesday from the Brach-Brodie Trust. Holmes said before the meeting that the school district had made great strides toward her requests. The school board recently passed a resolution saying they would not seek another referendum to fund the construction of the high school.
"There are a lot of different pieces involved, but I am glad to say at this point we have tackled and handled them, and we will continue to progress," Holmes said.
However, she said, despite District 204 officials and Brach-Brodie representatives making strides, lobbyists from the trust were not necessarily comfortable moving forward. Hultgren, who sat in for part of the meeting Tuesday, agrees.
"We are still working very hard, and our preference is to have everyone in agreement, but if we get the sense that some are disagreeable and not open to reasonable negotiations, then we will push forward," Hultgren said. "If we sense that not all parties may be negotiating in good faith, or not involved in active negotiations, then we may still move ahead. I think we are close on things."
