Update: Christian School’s Plan to Move Into Crafts Direct Bldg

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- The plans are moving forward for the St. Cloud Christian School to renovate the former Crafts Direct Building into its new home.

WJON News first told you about the plan back in October.

Head of School Mackenzie Hansen says they bought the former retail space because their current building in east St. Cloud no longer meets their needs.

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She says their investors are excited about the opportunity, which will double their capacity from about 40,000 square feet to about 73,000 square feet, with the potential for a mezzanine. A building contracter has already created some initial designs.

We will have a full-size gym.  We're looking at a cafetorium, so an auditorium that switches to a cafeteria, along with a bunch of classrooms with a really cool design.

Hansen says construction is still a few months away, and they want to raise more money before they start the renovation.

Hansen says they are still working on the specific details of the layout, including outdoor spaces.

There could be space in the front in the parking lot, and there's a lot of space in the back, so it depends on what the design ends up being.

Hansen says a shed in the back could be utilized for things like shop classes as well.

The St. Cloud Christian School originally planned to add on to their current building, but their investors were not excited about that idea.

Hansen says the students are looking forward to having a full-size gym so they can host home varsity games.

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She says they've already had a lot of interest in their current building from a variety of different groups. Eventually, the building will be listed for sale.

The St. Cloud Christian School is hoping to move into its new building to start the next school year.

She says moving from their current building in East St. Cloud to the former Crafts Direct building in Waite Park means they could potentially double their enrollment, with over 500 students, in the next three to five years.

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