LTHS Scores Over Pleasantdale On Industrial Issue

BURR RIDGE, IL – Among their peers, Lyons Township High School's view prevailed over Pleasantdale School District 107 on industrial construction.

A couple of weekends ago, Pleasantdale proposed a resolution at the state school boards association conference backing a ban on industrial uses next to schools.

At the conference, the resolution needed a two-thirds yes vote for a debate. According to the association, 246 voted against a discussion, while 154 wanted it.

Before the conference, one of the association's committees recommended against it.

The committee said such a law would hurt small towns that depend on income from industrial operations with space only available near schools.

The panel also said such a ban would hurt local control and that the EPA should be brought in for environmental issues.

In early November, the Lyons Township High School board also opposed the resolution, citing the need for local control.

In their discussion, board members did not mention the controversy that prompted Pleasantdale to propose the resolution.

Last year, the high school board tried to sell its land in Willow Springs next to Pleasantdale Elementary School to an industrial developer.

The effort was kept secret for months, even from public bodies such as District 107. When the board finally went public, Willow Springs and Burr Ridge residents rose up in opposition. Before the April election, the board abandoned the effort.

During a January closed meeting, a board member said industrial development at the Willow Springs site would hurt the neighbors. Other members agreed. No such statement has been made in a public meeting.