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Legal Compromise Would Scale Bleachers Down

(CBS) -- The battle is nearing an end in Crystal Lake.

A massive set of bleachers is expected to be scaled down.

CBS 2's Audrina Bigos asks locals if they support the proposal.

"Imagine having a wall of steel dominate your house," homeowner Jeff Gurba says.

For two years, his family's back yard has been dominated by a 55-foot-tall bleachers at Crystal Lake South High School.

"The windows upstairs have been pretty much blocked off since this started. People have been looking into my teenage daughter's window," Gurba tells Bigos.

Violation of privacy is just one reason neighbors have sued the school district. They also say the structure violate zoning laws. The judge agreed.

Under a compromise being considered, the bleachers would be shaved down to 18 feet, less than half as tall as they are now.  That would cost $233,000 above the $1.2 million it took to construct the bleachers in the first place.

The downsizing plan would have to get court approval.

Parents of athletes say smaller bleachers are better than none at all.

Gurba, the opponent of the taller bleachers, says his family could live with the downscaled version.

 

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