LTHS Slams Village Behind Closed Doors

LA GRANGE, IL – Over the winter, the Lyons Township High School board plowed ahead with its plan to sell its land in Willow Springs to an industrial developer.

This was despite opposition from Willow Springs residents and officials from local governing bodies.

Here's a possible reason for the board's confidence – the advice of its lawyer, Ares Dalianis.

Recordings of two Jan. 23 closed sessions of the board reveal what Dalianis told members. The attorney general later ruled the board broke state law by closing the doors to the public.

Under the village's code, zoning for the 71 acres in question barred industrial uses. And village officials promised to stick to those rules and not grant an exception.

That apparently did not deter Dalianis.

"The odds of getting a zoning change are actually pretty good," he told the board. "(Willow Springs officials) don't want to be put in a position of having to make that decision and change the zoning. That's why they are being so vocal in defense of their current zoning and the status quo."

Superintendent Brian Waterman described Willow Springs officials as "absolutely terrified." And then-board member Julie Swinehart added, "Or they are in over their skis or haven't had sound legal counsel advise them. They might be under-educated or naive about it."

Then-board member Alison Kelly said the Willow Springs Village Board didn't want to make the decision. In the end, she said, they would want to choose the property tax money from an industrial development over the neighbors' desire for green space.

While she was speaking, an unidentified school board member could be heard saying, "Probably going to be voted out," apparently referring to Willow Springs' elected trustees.

Waterman said the Village Board would probably allow both industrial uses and green space on the land.

"They'll try to negotiate some green space into the property," he said. "It's a back and forth."

That prompted Dalianis to imagine what he would be thinking if he were a Village Board trustee in Willow Springs deciding on the proposed industrial development. In so doing, he referred to the highest bidder, Bridge Industrial, which Waterman had privately courted since last spring.

"I'm a trustee for Willow Springs," Dalianis said. "I'm like holy cow, these guys have nailed every one of the standards. They met the requirements to change (the zoning). They have the right expert here. I really don't have a choice but to vote yes or if I vote no, it's going to be the subject of litigation, and Bridge is going to file a lawsuit saying they didn't get fair treatment through the process."

School board members have not returned repeated messages about the closed session recordings. Dalianis has declined to comment.

In early March, the school board abandoned its plan to sell the land in the face of mounting opposition. It was just a few weeks before the April election.

In an email to Patch last week, Willow Springs Administrator Ryan Grace said the officials' comments were disappointing. He said the Village Board holds the power to deny requests for exceptions to its zoning code.

"In this case, the feedback has been overwhelming that this use is not desired by the community," Grace said.

He said he and Village President Melissa Neddermeyer met with Bridge representatives in January. He said the officials told the company that a zoning change was unlikely.

"They were disappointed and informed us that the LTHS representatives informed them they were handling the community outreach for this project," Grace said. "Once they were made aware that a zoning change for this use was not favorable, they advised us that they would most likely not be pursuing this land any longer, they stated they do not want to be a part of a community that does not want them."

Grace said the entire situation could have been avoided if the high school held its land sale discussions in public rather than illegally behind closed doors.

Neddermeyer took exception to the criticism of her town.

"Swinehart arrogantly says maybe our community is in over our skis, under-educated, or naïve," Neddermeyer said in an email to Patch. "I am extremely proud of our community. We have been strong. And we refuse to accept LT's prioritization of money over people."

See other stories based on the recordings of the closed-door meetings on Jan. 23:

• LTHS Official Alleges Conspiracy Against School
• Did Election Sway LTHS Board On Willow Springs?
• LTHS Admission: Sale Would Hurt Neighbors
• Official Calls LTHS Comments 'Ignorant'
• Did LTHS Mislead The Public On Willow Springs?