The Huntley Farmside

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Thursday, February 25,1999
The Hinitley Farmside
,«, on tooo A Press Publications newspaper «r serving the Huntlev communitv v^i
Volume 38 Issue 46
Photo by Steve Brosinski
Carpenters work on the exterior of a home Saturday on Cold Spring Drive in the Sun City housing develop¬ ment. The first residents are scheduled to move in April 15.
Sun City residents plan to move in on April 15
Steve Brosinski
Press Publications
The day that has become ingrained in every taxpayer's mind will forever be remem¬ bered in Huntley as the day Sun City became a community.
April IS is the day when the first of thousands of people will move into the senior citizen res¬ idential development. Carpenters who are busy finishing up the exteriors on many homes will soon be underway on the interi¬ ors.
Harriett Ford, director of Del Webb's public relations, said closings should begin on April 15, nearly one year after bull-
"We are looking forward to our residents moving in. Last Thursday and Friday we held a Meet Your Neighbor social for our buyers and about 400 people showed up."
Harriet Ford
Director of Del Webb's public relations
dozers started clearing land for the 5,500 home development. Ford said the company will not release the actual number of homes sold.
"We are looking forward to
our residents moving in," she said. "Last Thursday and Friday we held a Meet Your Neighbor social for our buyers and about 400 people showed up."
see Residents—page 2
School Dist. 158 seeks land for third campus
Steve Brosinski
Press Publications
The Huntley School District 158 board is negoti¬ ating with a Kane County land owner for what could pave the way for a third school campus.
At the same time, school officials are hoping a flap raised over the use of the Redskin nickname is dying down.
Superintendent J.R.
Hartley said the board would like to secure a third large tract before a developer goes after the land and drives up the price. The district owns 156 acres at the Harmony Road campus and another 240 acres along Reed Road.
The proposed 140-acre site under consideration in south Huntley is located in Kane County and could be large enough to build up to six schools. Hartley said. The purchase of the property would be funded through developer's fees.
"We want to leave our options open," Hartiey said. "If we don't get this land tied up quickly, then we will have to use smaller parcels in the future. We are looking for land that is not in close prox¬ imity to power lines."
Enrollment, which is now hovering in the low-2000s, is expected to climb to 3,000 students by the 2000-2001 school year. A third campus
"We want to leave
our options open.
If we don't get
this land tied up
quickly, then we
will have to use
smaller parcels in
the future."
J.R. Hartley
Superintendent, School Dist. 158
would provide space for upwards of 5,000 to 6,000 students and room for a sec¬ ond or possibly third high school. Even though voters approved a pair of referen¬ dums totaling $18 million in November, Hartley said, they should be prepared for anoth¬ er referendum in November 2000.
"My prediction is for a referendum every two years. The problem we are running into is a new law which restricts when you can go to referendum in November," he said.
The General Assembly passed a law that went into effect in 1999 that allows school districts to go to refer¬ endum in November only during even-numbered years. Hartley said construction ref-
see Campus—page 2