Church may bring hope to D204 deal

Would consider selling district full 84 acres

Even with the news Friday that could give new life to District 204's plans for building a third high school along Eola Road this week, critics of the site said the district should nevertheless abandon the location along Eola Road.

One day after Midwest Generation said it would not sell 37 acres of the property to the district, officials of the St. John AME Church said Friday they might be willing to sell all 84 acres they own east of Eola and south of Diehl Road to the district, according to published reports.

If a sale does happen, District 204 would have the land it says it needs for the construction of the new Metea Valley High School, without using any of the 37 acres owned by the power company.

But Jasmine Grassi, leader for Neighborhood Schools for Our Children, which filed a lawsuit demanding that the district build Metea on the Brach-Brodie property, said in a written statement Saturday that the land the church owns borders the power plant and is still a safety concern.

"How could the school board even consider another site until they resolve this situation with Brach-Brodie?" Grassi said. "The environmental issues haven't gone away, you know. ... This presents the same environmental concerns as the previous plans."

School officials were not available Saturday to comment on the offer.

In 2005 and 2006, the district attempted to buy the church's acreage, but was turned down on both occasions. This year, however, the house of worship opted to sell the district about 49 of its 84 acres and the district could have combined that acreage with the remaining 37 acres from Midwest.

But the Midwest deal fell through, and the church has decided it may sell all of its 84 acres, according to published reports.

No word has been given when or if the school board would meet with church officials.