ST. CLOUD - Now that the St. Cloud Area School Board has voted to formally move forward with a plan to build a new Tech High School, a plan to swap some land with the city can also move forward.

The school district owns 67 acres of land near 33rd Street South, and has an option to buy an additional 62 acres just to the south of that. Meanwhile, the city owns 40 acres to the south of that. The land that the city owns is more suitable for building than the 67 acre parcel that the school district owns.

Mayor Dave Kleis says the two sides have been in discussions for months. He says the next step is to get an appraisal of the land from the DNR.

The city has plans to add the land to the Neenah Creek Park, and eventually create a sports complex complete with ballfields.

Meanwhile, Kleis says improvements to 33rd Street South and other infrastructure in that area continue to be on a five-year plan. He says, if the voters approve a referendum for a high school along the road, it won't speed-up their plans but will validate them.

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