Highland IL city council votes on education issue in town

The land that quickly will home a brand new public college is now a part of the City of Highland, after votes by the town council final week.

The council voted to annex the property and granted particular use permits to 42.8 acres on the intersection of Poplar Road and Arkansas Highway.

Highland District 5 plans to assemble the brand new main college on this property, which is able to serve pre-kindergarten by way of second grades with roughly 650 college students and 70 workers members.

The district’s proposal included annexing the total property into the town limits and requesting a particular use allow to construct the varsity. Previous to the vote Monday, Oct. 17, solely 6 acres of the property lay inside metropolis limits.

Superintendent Mike Sutton assured the council in a letter accompanying the request the varsity district would accomplice with the town to enhance roads and walkways to accommodate the elevated automobile and foot visitors extending out to the brand new college. “The potential for a Veteran’s Parkway growth makes this web site even higher from a strategic standpoint,” he wrote.

Whereas it would enhance visitors, he stated, the visitors points which have troubled the Lindenthal campus shall be considerably lessened.

“Different choices for websites have been thought-about, however a web site inside the metropolis limits was essential in sustaining established relationships,” he wrote. “The newly constructed campus is predicted to supply a lovely face elevate to the realm and gives alternatives for the town to handle some neighborhood water points sooner or later. It will be significant that households have entry to our college in a handy and protected location, all of which the required location gives.”

Sutton additionally wrote that the house will enable most of the people to entry extra inexperienced house and playgrounds.

The present neighbors for the property embrace the First Baptist Church, VFW, single-family residences and vacant land, based on the paperwork.

The city council unanimously accredited the annexation and particular use allow, each of which have been advisable by the planning and zoning board with out circumstances.