The Follow Up | Looking Deeper Into D209's Interest In St. Joe's, Merely An 'Idea' At This Point

Westchester's acting president said D209 not among the 'eight to 10 potential developers' who have expressed interest in St. Joe's in the last year

St. Joe’s High School in Westchester, which closed in 2021. | File

The announcement on March 16 by Proviso Township High School District 209 officials that they’re exploring the possibility of purchasing the old St. Joe’s High School in Westchester has prompted collective head-scratching among some community members who seem taken off-guard by the abrupt news. 

District officials are asking community members to complete a survey gauging their interest in making St. Joe’s the new home of Proviso Math and Science Academy and the two Math and Science Academies at East and West. District officials said if they purchased St. Joe’s, they “would be put [PMSA] up for sale and [sell it] to outside investors or businesses.”

But that’s been the extent of communication about the proposal from D209 officials. Last night, I emailed a series of questions to D209 Supt. James Henderson and D209 board President Della Patterson, which included a question about the origin of the district’s interest. They haven’t responded yet. 

On Thursday, Westchester’s acting village president, Nick Steker, provided this statement when asked if the district had been in talks with the village about a possible purchase of the former St. Joe’s, which closed permanently in 2021.

“I have been made aware of eight to 10 potential developers over the course of the last year or so who have expressed an interest in that property, none of which were District 209. However, only the Christian Brothers or the bank can give a truly accurate ‘yes' or ‘no’ to that question. The village does not own the property, but does control the zoning so our involvement has typically occurred at that level.” 

The last economic development proposal given serious attention by Westchester was a controversial plan brought to the board last year to turn the high school into a community center and light manufacturing complex but that proposal was axed after after many residents voiced their concerns about the plan, including worries that it might bring pollution to the area and depress property values.

I called the De La Salle Christian Brothers on Friday morning, but they could not immediately comment on the matter. A spokesperson said someone would get back to me but that hasn’t happened yet.

Meanwhile, a discussion at a regular school board meeting on March 14 about a proposal to issue $71 million in non-taxable bonds designed for capital improvements may or may not have provided some clues about the district’s seemingly abrupt St. Joe’s announcement (click here to view the meeting or watch below; the discussion starts at around the 2:20:06 mark).

The district is exploring the possibility of issuing the bonds now to capture a low current interest rate of around 4.25% on non-taxable bonds, Jay Cuneen, a financial consultant, told board members. 

Cuneen argued that by capturing the low interest rate, the district could protect itself from possibly higher interest rates in the future and save an estimated $12.6 million on future construction costs over 20 years. 

Board member Amanda Grant said taking out construction bonds before planning what to do with them was putting the cart before the horse. Grant pointed out the many community meetings and public discussion that preceded the release of the master facilities plan in 2019. 

Cuneen said his focus was primarily on securing the funding that might allow the district to address its future capital needs without raising taxes and dipping into  funds meant for academics. What to do with the additional funds would be up to the school board, he said. 

St. Joe’s was not mentioned during the March 14 discussion on the proposed bonds. Board member Rodney Alexander, responding to Grant’s criticism, compared the bond issuance to getting financing before buying a home. 

“I don’t understand the argument, it’s been explained,” Alexander said. “If I’m going to go looking for a house with the wife I would probably want to get financing first. I want to see how much money I have […] the financial market is primed […] for us to take advantage of this financial resource.

“If we don’t take advantage of this financial resource now, then rates may go up and may not be advantageous for us in the future […] What type of house I choose to buy, regardless of what I get refinances for is another conversation.” 

In a follow-up interview on Friday, Alexander said his mortgage analogy had nothing to do with St. Joe’s, adding that the proposed $71 million bond issuance would help pay for even more capital improvements in the district beyond what were addressed by the facilities master plan. Those future funds, he said, are unrelated to any prospective purchase of the Westchester school, which he indicated could be paid for by selling PMSA.

Nonetheless, Alexander said the 29-acre St. Joe’s campus is enticing and has been an alluring concept since the school closed in 2021. He added that he was told by Supt. Henderson that the Westchester school campus is on the market for around $5 million while PMSA, a converted office building in Forest Park, has been appraised at around $72 million. The district bought the property in 2004 for $16.5 million, one report shows.

Grant emphasized planning for the costs before taking out the proposed $71 million bond issuance. 

“I don’t see value in proceeding further unless we can say, ‘Here’s a list of projects that justifies putting this district in debt for the next however many years to get this $71 million,” Grant said. “What’s the point of discussing if we have no plan?” 

Grant asked if the district will conduct a similarly robust public outreach effort before exploring what they’ll do with capital funding from the proposed $71 million bond issuance, which the board has yet to finalize. 

“Yes, we’ll do a small group,” said Supt. Henderson, adding that now “isn’t 2017,” referencing the date the district embarked on the master facilities plan under former superintendent Jesse Rodriguez.

Two days later, the survey soliciting community feedback on St. Joe’s appeared. Alexander, who emphasized that he was not speaking on behalf of the board or district, said that the proposed purchase of St. Joe’s and sale of PMSA are only concepts at this point.

“This may not even happen,” he said. “[Supt. Henderson issued the survey] to float those things out their as ideas.”

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