Land grab may become an issue
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
As Union Grove Union High School officials continue to discuss a referendum, a nearby property owner is expressing his own concerns about the school district’s overtures in acquiring his land.
The UGUHS Board met last week and discussed the prospect of purchasing up to 40 acres of land directly to the east of the existing facility.
It is possible the board may attempt to acquire the land through a condemnation or an eminent domain authority for future land use, though District Administrator Al Mollerskov said that would be a last resort.
Illinois resident Daniel Riedel owns 120 acres, including the 40 acres in question, near the school and said he eventually plans to build a subdivision.
In recent meetings – including a special meeting held Jan. 30 to discuss components of a referendum and a regular Feb. 13 School Board meeting – Riedel has appeared and stated his case.
“My goal is to build nice homes,” Riedel said at a Jan. 30 meeting.
“If I can do anything to be cooperative with the school board, I’m happy to do so.”
Riedel has touted the property as a location for homes in the $500,000 range, similar to the nearby Fox subdivision.
On follow-up correspondence with the Westine Report, Riedel said right now he is not interested in selling any property within the 120 acres because of the current state of the economy.
“(I believe) the board needs to have a comprehensive plan that includes a variety of options, including the purchase of other land adjacent to the school, so the community knows how much land is actually needed and which land would be the most cost effective for the district, if any,” Riedel explained in an email.
Mollerskov said Wednesday that the land is currently being appraised, and said that Riedel is welcome to have his own appraisal conducted at the district’s expense.
From there, the district will provide Riedel an offer, and Riedel will have an opportunity to counter-offer.
“If we can’t reach an agreement, it could go to the condemnation process, but we certainly hope it doesn’t get to that point,” Mollerskov said.
The proposed land purchase could play into the district’s proposed referendum aimed at improving the high school’s athletic facilities.
At the Jan. 30 meeting, Mollerskov tried to gauge resident input on what would be included in a referendum if it moved forward.
Possible items include artificial turf, remedies to drainage issues, a track expansion, an addition to bleachers, construction of a retaining wall, adding four light fixtures and fencing.
If all items are included, the price tag could hover between $1.78 million and $1.895 million.
The school board last week voted to move forward with a referendum, not to exceed $1.895 million.
It will not be included in the April general election because the deadline has passed. Instead, the board is planning to hold a special election in May.
Mollerskov said the board’s rationale for the decision came after weighing the costs of a special election against the potential loss in ticket sales at athletic events in the fall.
The board will hold a special meeting this coming Monday, Feb. 27, to vote on the exact language and timeline.
“The board chose to go this route because of the interest in the community,” Mollerskov said.
“We’ve had residents coming to meetings in November, December, January and February asking for this.”
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