Orland High School District 230 board members decided to stop actively pursuing the sale of a 36-acre property on South 108 Avenue, despite the board setting a selling price in June and after some board members expressed urgency in selling the lot.
The school board aimed to sell the Willow Grove property, which houses the district’s maintenance department, in order to purchase a property listed for $3.2 million at 10608 W. 163rd St., Orland Park, for use by the maintenance department and other needs.
In July, several District 230 board members said it was important to sell the Willow Grove acres soon, as the district would like to purchase the West 163rd Street property while it’s still available.
But Jennifer Waterman, District 230 director of communications, said board members decided they want more time to make a well-informed decision on the feasibility on what the new property could be used for and what costs the district could incur.
The board did set the Willow Grove sale price at just under $2.68 million, in case they decide to sell it, but paused taking action on either of the properties.
Waterman said discussions are continuing and decisions on the two properties are intertwined.
Board member Mohammed Jaber said residents at a committee meeting raised significant concerns about the necessity of selling one lot in order to purchase the other.
But other board members pushed back, saying there is support for the sale.
Board member Tony Serratore said the majority of people attending the Building and Finance Committee meeting agreed the district should sell the Willow Grove property and purchase the lot on 163rd Street.
“I don’t want to disagree with you, but I was also at that meeting, and I had a number of people that were sitting right next to me that also spoke,” Serratore said to Jaber at Thursday’s board meeting.
The board conducted a joint appraisal with Orland Elementary District 135 in early June due to a potential direct sale. The joint appraisal was conducted by Collins Real Estate Advisors for a market value of $2.57 million.
The board conducted another appraisal in July, due to interest in having a second opinion, Waterman said. That appraisal by Appraisal Associates gave a market value of almost $2.68 million.
Waterman said two appraisals can differ because appraisers use different methods, choose different comparable properties and apply their own professional judgment, all of which introduce variability. Factors such as timing, market conditions, appraisal purpose and regulatory or environmental considerations also play significant roles in producing different valuation outcomes, she said.
The district aimed to sell Willow Grove because the maintenance department operates out of a home built in the 1960s without electricity, gas or drinkable water, Superintendent Robert Nolting said in July.
In addition to providing a better facility for the maintenance department, the new property could also house five to six district programs, such as an adult learning program, alternative learning for students who struggle and career readiness, Nolting said.
“We pay a lot of money for those programs, and we think we can capture that money back,” Nolting said. “But our hope is that a switch of property at the minimum provides our maintenance department with a better facility than they have right now.”
District 230 is made up of Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park and Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills.
The Willow Grove property contains four structures: two warehouses, a storage building and a residence, all built between 1960 and 2006. According to the June appraisal, the storage building received the lowest condition rating, poor, indicating it’s in a state of disrepair, while the other structures received fair and average ratings, conditions Nolting said are undesirable.
Bryk said District 135 was interested in buying the property last May due to concerns about the current and future housing developments in the area. The District 135 board wants to ensure the district has space to accommodate an increase in student enrollment, he said.
District 135 Superintendent John Bryk said in July he hoped the district would decide on the purchase in the next few months.
“It’s much easier to have property when you need it instead of looking for it when you need it,” Bryk said.
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