A land purchase contract approved Wednesday by the New Lenox Elementary District 122 School Board will allow for a construction-staging area and future expansion at a site for new schools.
Supt. Thomas Mullins said the district will buy 2 acres with a farmhouse adjoining the land where two schools will be built at Nelson and Laraway Roads.
The $185,000 purchase price will come from development fees, not tax revenues, Mullins said.
The house can be used as a staging area for construction, a move the superintendent estimated will save $25,000 to $30,000 in construction costs.
The school district is building two elementary schools, one for primary and one for intermediate grades. The fast-growing district will likely need the extra 2 acres for additional parking and more playground space at the schools, he said.
Enrollment in the district totals 3,705 students in kindergarten through 8th grade, a increase of almost 200 from 3,517 last September.