The bubble has likely burst on installing an inflatable dome at either Hinsdale Central or Hinsdale South high schools this year.

Officials from the Village of Hinsdale, City of Darien and Hinsdale Township High School District 86 did not appear optimistic the dome project would move forward this year. District 86 is installing synthetic turf fields at both high schools and had hoped to partner with a private investor group to build a dome over one of school’s practice fields.

“At this point I would assume it is not going to happen this year, but I don’t know for sure,” said School Board President Dennis Brennan in a Thursday interview. “We may get an update from our administration on Monday, at our board meeting.”

Brennan said without a user agreement in place with the investor group, the project could not move forward. No agreement has been proposed to date.

Earlier this year, the district and the investor group said the dome — to be owned and operated by the investor group — would provide maximum use for district students and private rentals if operated from about mid-November until spring.

“I think it still might be a possibility for consideration in the future, but without an agreement in place it doesn’t make sense to move forward,” Brennan said. “We want to be cognizant of the residents opinions, and would like to get more input from residents and make them aware of what we would like to do.”

As of Thursday, District 86 had not  filed plans or permit applications for the dome with either municipality, according to Darien City Administrator Bryon Vana and Hinsdale Village Manager David Cook.

Vana added there may have been a question about the village’s role in a plan review and inspections.

“If the structure is built on school property by the school district, oversight comes from the state, not the local municipality. But if a private group builds on school property, we would have to ask our attorneys whether or not the city would then be involved since it is not the school district doing the work,” Vana said.

Owners of the dome planned to provide $50,000 annually to District 86 to be split equally between both schools.
 

Timeline
AUG. 31 An investor group tells District 86 officials one dome, not two, can be funded at one of the two district high school locations.

SEPT. 14 District officials said a user agreement delineating responsibilities of both parties must be worked out before the project moves forward at a yet-unspecified site.

OCT. 29 School Board President Dennis Brennan said the dome project probably will not happen “this year”, but is still a possibility in future years.

NOV. 2 An update on the dome could come from Superintendent Nicholas Wahl at a School Board meeting.