Barrington 220’s footprint is growing in the New Year. On Dec. 31, the board of education finalized the purchase of land adjacent to and across the street from Barrington High School.
The currently undeveloped but useable parcel was purchased for $2.35 million from the school district’s fund balance. The property is in the villages of Barrington and Barrington Hillls on the western edge of Hart Road.
With this purchase now complete, Lot 4 and the adjacent conservation area (20.75 acres in all) belong to the Barrington 220 School District as well as Lot 5 (11.25 acres donated by the Wamberg family in 2013), for a total of 32 acres. The existing high school campus across Hart Road is presently 72 acres.
“The school district has no immediate plans to use the land, but we will begin to evaluate some short- and long-term options,” said Board President Brian Battle. “We will coordinate with the villages of Barrington and Barrington Hills as well as our neighbors within Flint Creek Crossing on any future development of the acreage,” Battle said.
The connected parcels of land are important to Barrington 220 because their proximity to the high school campus provides much-needed flexibility for the potential of future expansion. Once modifications are made to the existing intergovernmental agreements that apply to this property, conversations can begin about a master plan.
“Now that we’ve secured much of the land across Hart Road, we look forward to a community discussion about future possibilities for our high school campus,” Superintendent Brian Harris said.
………………………………………………………
About the Author
Morgan Delack is the Communications Specialist for Barrington Community Unit School District 220.
She handles social media, media outreach and other press-related tasks for the district.
Morgan has worked for several years in both television and web-based news. She lives in Barrington with her husband and two children.
You can reach Morgan at (847) 842-3536 or MDelack@Barrington220.org. Follow Morgan’s Barrington 220 updates at Facebook.com/Barrington220.
Morgan is a regular contributor at 365Barrington.com and the voice of our Smart Moves series highlighting students, teachers, administrators and news impacting the Barrington 220 School District. CLICK HERE to find past Smart Moves features published at 365Barrington.com.
