The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Committee of 10 studies possible sites for new Hancock County high school.
by David Grimes, Special For The Quill
DALLAS CITY- Site options for a proposed new Hancock County high school have been pared from 14 to six, but even choosing from that handful of choices will not come quickly or easily.
Allen Berry, building and grounds subcommittee member, presented that group's most current findings Thursday night to the Committee of 10 studying a proposed four school district high school convergence that includes LaHarpe, Nauvoo-Colusa, Dallas City and Carthage.
The four high schools involved share a combined student population of about 600 students.
Landowners of some 16 tracts of land near the four districts' geographical center along Illinois 94 north of Carthage have been contacted by the committee to gauge interest in trading, selling or leasing land for building the proposed $18 million facility.
Responses were received from 14 of the 16 individuals, and from the 14, six tracts are being looked at by the subcommittee.
The final six tracts to be considered include 50 to 60 acres with frontage on Illinois 94 and the Adrian blacktop; 79 acres in the same vicinity with Illinois 94 frontage available; another 79 acres with Illinois 94 frontage; 50 to 60 acres with blacktop frontage only and with the possibility of land exchange; part of a land tract owned by Johnson Bible College in Tennessee for sale or trade only to a school district at the corner of the Colusa blacktop and Illinois 94; and land in section 30 of Pilot Grove township owned by the city of LaHarpe available for lease.
Cost per acre is about $4,600.
No recommendation has been made from the subcommittee to the full Committee of 10. Should the ballot question of forming a new high school district and an accompanying building bond question pass on the April 5, 2005, ballot, the Committee of 10 would then issue a recommendation of their own to the newly elected school board.
Berry also said the majority of students from a newly formed high school district would travel less than 8 miles to attend school, with 5 percent traveling between 16 and 19 miles. Berry's findings were based on a list of 911 addresses within the four districts.
In other business, Committee of 10 members were issued petitions to be circulated today, tomorrow and Sunday. Committee of 10 chairman Marvin Boyer encouraged committee members to take advantage of the legal holiday Monday to garner support and signatures.
Each district affected must secure a minimum 50 signatures from legal voters before the petition will be presented to the Regional Office of Education for Hancock and McDonough Counties in Macomb Tuesday.
Pending approval from that office, the petition will be forwarded on to the state superintendent's office in Springfield.
The committee additionally discussed frequently asked questions submitted by each districts' staff members.
Those questions concerned curriculum possibilities, future enrollment projections, the possibility of a portion of the Dallas City school district seeking annexation into Henderson County and the possibility of a school district outside Hancock County annexing into the proposed new Hancock County high school district.