Review of Eola study tabled, for now
Permission to discuss results not yet granted
Discussions of safety concerns regarding the proposed site for Metea Valley High School were partially had at Monday's Indian Prairie School District 204's board meeting.
The board was scheduled to review the results of the district's two-phase environmental study of the Eola site chosen for a third high school, but the district was unable to secure the necessary permission to release that information in time for Monday's meeting.
District officials have met with and asked questions of the consultants who performed the study, and "the consultants are advising us that everything that was located - and it's very minimal at that - is easily and regularly remediated," said board President Mark Metzger.
A clean site is written into the contract for the sale of the property, and the site must pass Illinois Environmental Protection Agency standards in order for the district to start construction.
The studies, paid for by Chicago-based Midwest Generation, are being overseen by the IEPA, which must approve all test results and will ensure the site is clean before the district will build Metea Valley High School at Eola and Molitor roads in Aurora.
The first phase of the study looked at historical data from the site and past property owners. The second phase involved soil borings and ground water samplings looking for the presence of diesel fuel or antifreeze, chemicals commonly used at the site.
The results of these studies will be reviewed at a board meeting once the district is free to release them, Metzger said. The district hopes it will secure this permission within the next week.
The board was set to approve bids for mass grading, structural excavation and concrete foundation, and precast concrete wall panels, roof panels, beams and columns, contingent upon the purchase of the Eola site, and the annexation of the property into the city of Aurora. It approved those bids only after providing for a special meeting to review the study's results.
Board member Christine Vickers pushed to postpone action on these bids - not because there was something in the study results that gave her pause, but as a matter of sequence. She argued that the public should have a chance to review the study results before the board acted on the bids.
Before agreeing to the additional contingency, Vickers said the board needed to do some "damage control" in an effort to restore the public's confidence in its decisions.
Despite the delay, the board on Monday did hear reports from various experts on environmental issues that pertain to the property.
Portions of the site are adjacent to two high-energy electrical switching stations, which has led some to express concerns regarding electromagnetic radiation levels at that location.
So District 204 hired Environ International Corporation, an environmental consulting firm, to analyze EMF readings on the property.
On Oct. 30 Environ International took readings from a northern portion of the property likely to be the school's parking lot and athletic stadium, and reported that the typical EMF readings were consistent with a typical suburban area.
The board did not intend to discuss the Neighborhood Schools for Our Children group's lawsuit until after executive session. That closed meeting extended past The Sun's press time.