The Orland High School District 230 Board voted Thursday to place a 36-acre property on South 108 Avenue on the market for $2.57 million dollars, aligning the price with the recommendation from an joint-appraisal with Elementary District 135 completed in early June.

District 135 is considering buying the Willow Grove lot for the possibility of construction on a school, but there are no definite plans yet, according to the Superintendent John Bryk.

The District 230 Board aims to use the proceeds from the sale to purchase a property listed for $3.2 million at 10608 W. 163rd St., Orland Park, to ensure the district’s maintenance department has the resources to be “functional,” as the department now operates out of a home built in the 1960s without electricity, gas or drinkable running water, said District 230 Superintendent Robert Nolting.

The new property could also house five to six district programs down the road, such as an adult learning program, alternative learning for students who struggle and career readiness, Nolting said.

“We pay a lot of money for those programs, and we think we can capture that money back,” Nolting said. “But our hope is that a switch of property at the minimum provides our maintenance department with a better facility than they have right now.”

District 230 is made up of Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park and Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills.

Several District 230 Board members expressed urgency to sell the Willow Grove acres soon, as the district would like to purchase the property on West 163rd Street while it’s still available. The district has considered that property since October 2024, Nolting said.

If the district loses to another buyer, board member Susan Dalton said, “we are back to square one, and I think it could be a long time to find something that would actually work for us.”

But other board members were hesitant to act quickly. Mohammed Jaber protested any immediate action, saying the $2.5 million price point suggested from a June appraisal would not be enough. Selling the property for more could help the district better fund the purchase of the West 163rd Street property, he said.

“I feel like we need to show everyone that we have tried to squeeze as much money out of Willow Grove as possible,” Jaber said.

Jaber argued the Willow Grove acres, zoned with 28 acres as commercial property and 8 acres as residential, could especially increase in value if the property were rezoned as residential property.

“There’s not much land left in Orland Park, very few lands where you can build 100 plus homes,” he said.

The Willow Grove property, 16150 S. 108th Ave., Orland Park, is in an area where housing developments have recently been encroaching on farmland, but Nolton said the district has not been approached by any potential buyers since 2021, as long as he’s been superintendent.

The first appraisal, conducted by The Collins Real Estate Advisors, cost $2,500, with the two districts splitting the cost, said Dave Keating, director of facilities in District 230. Conducting an appraisal with another company could cost upward of $5,000, Keating said.

Moreover, utilities are not connected at the site and would require significant investment, even if the district decides to retain the property, Nolting said.

“There has to be some investment, whether it’s raising the land,” Nolting said. “All those variables are factors.”

The Willow Grove property contains four structures: two warehouses, a storage building and a residence, all built between 1960 and 2006. The storage building received the lowest condition rating, at “poor,” indicating it’s in a state of disrepair, from the June appraisal while the other structures received “fair” and “average” ratings, conditions Nolting said are undesirable.

Bryk said District 135 became interested in buying the property last May due to concerns about the current and future housing developments in the area. The District 135 Board wants to ensure the district has space to accommodate an increased number of students, he said.

“It’s much easier to have property when you need it instead of looking for it when you need it,” Bryk said.

Bryk said he hopes the district will decide on the purchase in the next few months.

Video streaming

The District 230 Board also approved video streaming its meetings through YouTube Live, with the first streamed meeting scheduled for Aug. 28.

Videos will be retained for the minimum period established by the district and Local Records Commission, and the process will be overseen by John Connolly, the district’s chief technology and operations officer.

A staff member will also be paid a stipend for the video production and maintenance of the videos.