The District U-46 School Board voted Monday to approve a letter of intent to purchase the former Sherman Hospital campus on Elgin’s northeast side.
Board members took the action after an 70-minute closed session, triggering a due diligence process during which its viability will be evaluated and after which a purchase agreement could be signed, U-46 Deputy Superintendent for Operations Ann Williams said.
No purchase price for the 943 Center St. site was discussed. It’s currently owned by Westridge Lending LLC, which took control after a previous purchaser defaulted on payments.
In addition to the 254,000-square-foot hospital building, which underwent renovation work a few years ago when it was to be used as an COVID-19 overflow facility, the property includes a parking lot and open space on 14 acres of land.
It’s possible the site could be used for a future middle or elementary school or pre-K center, Williams said.
Board President Sue Kerr noted the campus is near McKinley Elementary School, which is one of the schools under discussion for being replaced as part of the district’s ongoing facilities master plan. It’s also not far from two middle schools that have limited land, she said.
Board Vice President Melissa Owens said she has concerns about the direction the board is considering for this property, which was not disclosed publicly at the meeting.
“I’m going to vote yes on this letter of intent only because it’s a letter of intent,” Owens said. “It doesn’t bind the board to anything at this point. I do believe it is in our best interest to go through the feasibility and do our due diligence on the property.”
The vote was unanimous other than for Dawn Martin, who opted not to vote one way or the other.
“While I appreciate the location of the property, I struggle with putting time and resources into something so ill-defined,” Martin said. “However, I appreciate everyone’s perspectives so I will just be abstaining at this point and letting the process play out and looking forward to seeing what comes out of it and voting again down the road.”
Speaking the day after the vote, board member Samreen Khan said she saw no downside to examining the feasibility of the property before any decision is made to purchase. The letter of intent is strictly exploratory and nonbinding, she said.
On Tuesday, Karla Jiménez, U-46 director of school and community relations, said additional information regarding the possible purchase will be shared at a June board update.
The former hospital campus closed in late 2009 when Sherman, now owned by Advocate Health, moved to its current location on Randall Road in Elgin.
Chicago-based Freedom Development Group purchased the site in 2019 but ultimately it went into foreclosure. In August 2022, a Kane County judge signed an order that allowed Westridge Lending LLC to take ownership of the property.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
