District 204 to explore land swap and limited sale options for Willow Springs parcel

The Lyons Township High School District 204 Board of Education agreed Tuesday to let a district administrative committee continue discussions about the Willow Springs property, including pursuing a land swap with the Pleasantdale Park District and offering a seven‑acre portion for purchase by the Pleasantdale School District, while deferring any final sale price or contract vote to a future meeting.

The Willow Springs parcel has been discussed by the board and administrators for several years as a potential source of revenue to support capital improvements, Brian Mortimer, who led the administrative committee’s review, told the board. Mortimer summarized three scenarios the committee examined and said the committee’s recommendation was to move forward with exploring a swap with the park district and a possible sale of about seven acres to the Pleasantdale School District.

The recommendation grew from a series of meetings and a listening tour with local entities, Mortimer said. He described three recommended paths: (1) set terms and run a sealed public bid process under school code; (2) negotiate a land swap with the Pleasantdale Park District while offering a seven‑acre sale to Pleasantdale School District and then run a sealed bid process; or (3) run a sealed bid process that allows a buyer contingent on that buyer negotiating with the park district and the school district. Mortimer said the committee prioritized scenario 2: direct discussions with the park district and the school district.

Tim Alborz, former vice president of the board and member of the administrative committee, said the park district originally proposed a swap about three years ago, and that the swap would aim to create more contiguous, usable parcels for the park district while improving saleability of the remaining Willow Springs land for District 204. James Levy, attorney for the board with Hodges, Louisi, explained the legal difference to the board: a land swap or direct sale with another public body may be negotiated directly under a statutory exception for deals between governmental bodies, while a sale to a private buyer generally requires a public sealed bid process under school code.

Board members pressed for clarity on scope, timing and protections. One board member asked whether any swap could involve exchanging less‑usable land for more usable land; the committee answered that the swap would not be a transfer of unusable parcels but a reconfiguration intended to benefit both parties. Mortimer and other administrators said any proposed swap would return to the full board for approval; nothing was final.

Mortimer said the committee recommended offering the Pleasantdale School District the opportunity to buy roughly seven acres for an early childhood center if the district chose to purchase rather than request a donation. The administration will seek a proposed response timeline from the park district and the school district; lawyers suggested an August 30 benchmark for the outside parties to respond, recognizing that municipal boards meet monthly.

The board agreed to continue exploring the recommended paths and to discuss price-setting in a closed session later the same evening under statutory exemption for pricing of public property. James Levy confirmed the closed‑session discussion would be limited to setting a purchase price and that no final vote would be taken following that closed session.

No sale, swap or final pricing decision was adopted at the meeting; the board’s direction was to authorize continued negotiations and return any negotiated agreements for full board consideration.

Ending: The board directed administrators and legal counsel to pursue conversations with the Pleasantdale Park District and the Pleasantdale School District and to return proposed agreements to the board for formal action at a future meeting. Administrators said they would include any negotiated terms, recommended sale price ranges, and a target timeline for return to the board.