Post by WeBe204 on Mar 28, 2008 5:58:21 GMT -6
Dist. 204 is looking into claims state senator tried to stop land purchase
By Justin Kmitch
Indian Prairie Unit District 204 officials are investigating claims a state lawmaker has tampered with their efforts to purchase property in Aurora intended for the new Metea Valley High School.
Several residents and area lawmakers said they received large numbers of e-mails and phone calls this week accusing Democratic state Sen. Linda Holmes of Aurora with trying to scuttle the district's plans to acquire the site along Eola Road south of Diehl Road.
Holmes on Thursday denied any wrongdoing and called the claims ridiculous.
Among the accusations are that Holmes, at the behest of opponents of the Eola Road site, has threatened to hamper Midwest Generation's ability to do business downstate if the power company continues to negotiate for the sale of its part of the property.
The other allegation is that Macom Corp. -- the owner of another site the district previously considered north of 95th Street and west of 248th Street -- is a campaign contributor.
"I've seen those e-mails and heard those messages today," school board President Mark Metzger said Thursday. "I've been able to confirm that the district has not been contacted by Holmes' office and we're still investigating whether she has taken a position on the issue as alleged in many of those correspondences."
Calls to Midwest Generation spokesman Charley Parnell were not returned.
Holmes said she has received similar calls and e-mails.
"Some have been fair and reasonable and others have been downright nasty," she said.
Holmes said she and House Republican Leader Tom Cross of Plainfield, with whom she shares the district, have been bombarded with correspondence concerning the site. Cross did not return calls Thursday.
"Did I pressure Midwest Generation? No. Absolutely not. I'm in no position to do that," Holmes said. "Did I talk to them about environmental concerns posed by constituents in my district? Yes, and there's nothing wrong with that."
In recent weeks, Holmes said, constituents from the 42nd Senate District, which includes parts of Aurora, Bolingbrook, Joliet, Montgomery, Naperville, North Aurora, Oswego, Plainfield, Romeoville and Shorewood, have raised concerns about potential environmental hazards at the site selected for a 3,000-student high school that's scheduled to open in the fall of 2009.
"My constituents asked me to help them get information about the Eola Road site, so I talked to Midwest Generation to see if the concerns were valid," she said. "But the (environmental) reports are bound by a confidentiality agreement and in that situation I don't have access any more than anyone else."
Holmes said she does not believe legislators should be involved in local school board decisions and she said she doesn't believe she has intruded on this one.
"This is not a state issue, but if I were able to get some information for my district and share it in a responsible way, that would make sense to me," she said.
There is still no firm date for releasing the environmental reports, which officials say contain findings of tests for ground contaminants.
School district leaders said they are waiting for Midwest Generation to sign off on the reports before making them public.
Metzger said he and several district administrators and attorneys recently had "a very productive meeting" on the subject but still are not able to provide a timetable for when more information will be released.
Officials say the new high school is needed to ease overcrowding at Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley high schools in the district that covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield and Bolingbrook.
By Justin Kmitch
Indian Prairie Unit District 204 officials are investigating claims a state lawmaker has tampered with their efforts to purchase property in Aurora intended for the new Metea Valley High School.
Several residents and area lawmakers said they received large numbers of e-mails and phone calls this week accusing Democratic state Sen. Linda Holmes of Aurora with trying to scuttle the district's plans to acquire the site along Eola Road south of Diehl Road.
Holmes on Thursday denied any wrongdoing and called the claims ridiculous.
Among the accusations are that Holmes, at the behest of opponents of the Eola Road site, has threatened to hamper Midwest Generation's ability to do business downstate if the power company continues to negotiate for the sale of its part of the property.
The other allegation is that Macom Corp. -- the owner of another site the district previously considered north of 95th Street and west of 248th Street -- is a campaign contributor.
"I've seen those e-mails and heard those messages today," school board President Mark Metzger said Thursday. "I've been able to confirm that the district has not been contacted by Holmes' office and we're still investigating whether she has taken a position on the issue as alleged in many of those correspondences."
Calls to Midwest Generation spokesman Charley Parnell were not returned.
Holmes said she has received similar calls and e-mails.
"Some have been fair and reasonable and others have been downright nasty," she said.
Holmes said she and House Republican Leader Tom Cross of Plainfield, with whom she shares the district, have been bombarded with correspondence concerning the site. Cross did not return calls Thursday.
"Did I pressure Midwest Generation? No. Absolutely not. I'm in no position to do that," Holmes said. "Did I talk to them about environmental concerns posed by constituents in my district? Yes, and there's nothing wrong with that."
In recent weeks, Holmes said, constituents from the 42nd Senate District, which includes parts of Aurora, Bolingbrook, Joliet, Montgomery, Naperville, North Aurora, Oswego, Plainfield, Romeoville and Shorewood, have raised concerns about potential environmental hazards at the site selected for a 3,000-student high school that's scheduled to open in the fall of 2009.
"My constituents asked me to help them get information about the Eola Road site, so I talked to Midwest Generation to see if the concerns were valid," she said. "But the (environmental) reports are bound by a confidentiality agreement and in that situation I don't have access any more than anyone else."
Holmes said she does not believe legislators should be involved in local school board decisions and she said she doesn't believe she has intruded on this one.
"This is not a state issue, but if I were able to get some information for my district and share it in a responsible way, that would make sense to me," she said.
There is still no firm date for releasing the environmental reports, which officials say contain findings of tests for ground contaminants.
School district leaders said they are waiting for Midwest Generation to sign off on the reports before making them public.
Metzger said he and several district administrators and attorneys recently had "a very productive meeting" on the subject but still are not able to provide a timetable for when more information will be released.
Officials say the new high school is needed to ease overcrowding at Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley high schools in the district that covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield and Bolingbrook.
