Aurora expected to annex Metea

AURORA -- Even as the first bulldozers started to move the dirt, Aurora alderman were expected to take care of the final logistical measure before construction - again.

It was a formality, but before the Indian Prairie School District 204 was to begin work on the new school on Eola Road, the City Council needed to approve an amended annexation agreement for the 84-acre site. A special council meeting was scheduled for Tuesday night to do just that.

With little discussion and few questions, aldermen in early April approved an annexation agreement to cover plans for the 3,000-student school and a new St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church, but that proposal was nullified when Midwest Generation, another Eola Road property owner, opted not to sell its land to the school district.

Two weeks later, the church decided to sell all of its land - 84 acres - to Indian Prairie for $19 million. Under the original scenario, the church was to sell 49 acres to the district, with Midwest Generation selling an additional 37 acres for the school. The latter pulled out amid questions about whether the land was safe for a school.

Groundbreaking on the newly acquired site off Eola Road began earlier this week. Foundation work is scheduled to begin June 13.

District officials still expect the school to be ready for the start of the 2009-10 school year, with the classrooms completed for freshman and sophomore students.

For updates on this story today, visit napersun.com.

Sun-Times News Group