Board approves land swap with Round Lake Park District to align parking and playground ownership

The Round Lake Area Board of Education voted to approve an intergovernmental agreement with the Round Lake Park District to exchange adjacent property parcels around Indian Hill Elementary School. Doctor Lamping explained the swap will align ownership so the park district can rebuild and redesign its six tennis courts (planned as two tennis courts and two pickleball courts) and the district will gain a parcel immediately north of the existing park facilities for additional parking.

Lamping said the park district had already approved the exchange and would begin construction in May 2026 after the school year ends. He also noted that the playground currently maintained by the park district sits on land titled to the district, and the south parking lot used by the district is actually park-district property; the swap corrects that. The district will ask administrators not to schedule summer programs at Indian Hill the summer of the renovation so construction can proceed without student-use conflicts.

The motion to approve the intergovernmental agreement was moved by Miss Lee and seconded by Mister Jewett. Roll-call votes were all in favor and the motion carried. The exchange was described in the meeting as a $0 transaction limited to reassigning parcel ownership and updating PIN numbers; closing by attorneys was expected within 90 days after board approval.

Administrators said the district will compile PIN numbers for other shared properties (Ellis and others) so future title and use questions are clear. The board also discussed contingency plans for summer school if Indian Hill cannot host programs during construction.

The approval formalizes cooperation between the district and the park district and aims to reduce parking pressure at district events while accommodating the park district's plans for tennis and pickleball facilities.