Gary Community School Corp. will hire a Chicago environmental firm to come up with new valuations for two parcels of land at the center of a dispute between the corporation and Gary/Chicago International Airport.

Two months after school officials said the parcels had a combined value of as much as $6 million, school trustees approved the hiring of Ecosystem Capital LLC to assist in valuing the two parcels of rare dune and swale habitat, according to a statement issued by the corporation Friday.

"Just as President Barack Obama's administration seeks to achieve, we also would like to create a balance between economic development and the preservation of natural ecosystems and resources," Interim Gary Schools Superintendent Myrtle Campbell said.

The airport wants to buy the two parcels and use them to replace 40 acres of environmentally sensitive dune-and-swale habitat to be plowed under by the extension of its main runway. Federal environmental regulations require the airport to come up with replacement habitat for the airport acreage.

In April, the school corporation said it found the two parcels were worth between $3.75 million and $6 million after consulting "state, regional and national experts."

Appraisals commissioned by the airport authority found the two parcels had a combined value of $368,000. School officials confirmed an appraiser they hired came up with a similar figure.

The dispute over the price of the land is threatening to delay the $90 million extension of the Gary airport's main runway, airport director Chris Curry said Friday.

The airport will continue to move forward to acquire the parcels "by whatever means are available," Curry said.

He noted negotiations with Canadian National Railway on moving tracks that block the runway expansion are going well and could soon be concluded.

The airport wants to buy the school corporation parcels with money provided by the Federal Aviation Administration. FAA guidelines require the airport pay no more than the appraised price, Curry said.

The two parcels the airport wants to buy total 103 acres. One is known as Tolliston Woods, which is near Burr Street and 21st Avenue, and the other is known as the Miller School property, at 6000 Miller Ave.