District board members at Stevenson High School are looking at widening a school entrance to address longstanding traffic problems at the school despite initial trepidation over a proposed real estate deal that would make the project a reality.
During their meeting Tuesday, board members agreed to a contract that could lead to the purchase of a house and 1.1 acres of land located near the two-lane back exit that runs past the baseball field at the Lincolnshire school and onto Port Clinton Road.
The decision comes after board president Bruce Lubin had to break a rare 3-3 tie on Feb. 13 after half of the board said it wanted to proceed with the purchase to address the traffic issues at Stevenson, while the other half wanted to wait until they heard from Lincolnshire officials about the proposal.
Lubin ultimately voted against purchasing the land and house near Stevenson but said later that he would approve the deal if village officials were fine with it.
Tonya Zozulya, economic development director for Lincolnshire, said the house targeted for the deal is located in unincorporated Lake County, requiring annexation, rezoning and an addition to a special-use permit granted to Stevenson.
District board members have said they now will seek advance approvals for their plans from Lincolnshire Village Hall, approving Tuesday a tentative contract not to exceed $625,000 to purchase the parcel at 16139 W. Port Clinton Road.
School officials still have to work out a final price for the land and the recently approved contract also gives them a 65-day out clause with no financial penalty involved, district officials said. They said they could use the land at the property to widen the entrance and exit near Port Clinton Road.
“It’ll allow us to take care of the traffic issue that we have there,” said board member Steven Frost. “It’s a good deal.”
The land is owned by Chang Soujen, who could not be reached for comment.
The school of 4,000 students and hundreds of employees has three entrances — two on the south side of the school near Route 22, and the Port Clinton Road access point.
Only the main entrance onto Route 22 has multiple lanes and a traffic light, officials said.
Stevenson spokesman Jim Conrey said buses and students typically use the Port Clinton Road exit. A Lincolnshire traffic officer also is out there for an hour each morning and also each evening to try and keep traffic moving, he said.
Sean Carney, assistant superintendent for business at Stevenson, said they could add a right-turn lane from Port Clinton Road eastbound into the campus and another turning lane for the exit under the proposal being considered by the board.
But Conrey said the proposed realignment still would require police supervision. The district spends between $30,000 and $32,000 each year for assistance with traffic control, he said.
He also said the existing house on the land targeted by the board could become a storage and administrative facility if student enrollment continues to climb. Board members still have to consider designs for the proposed traffic alignment near Port Clinton Road, meaning detailed cost estimates are not yet known, Frost said.
Board member Terry Moons voted to buy the land at both meetings this month. She said she is confident the school can work with the village to make the traffic project happen.
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“It would solve our traffic problems, which we have an enormous amount of traffic problems,” Moons said.
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