The members of St. Croix United Church in Bayport have finalized the sale of a 10-acre property on the western edge of Bayport to the Stillwater Area Public School District, a move that paves the way for a new Andersen Elementary School to be built on the site.

The sale price was $850,000, which was $150,000 lower than the appraised value of the land, church officials said.

Officials from the church, which was formed last fall when St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in Stillwater and People’s Congregational Church in Bayport merged, said they agreed to the lower price because they wanted school district officials to commit to a number of items, including the creation of a 100-seat outdoor classroom that could be used as a gathering space for the church and the community.

The new school is expected to open for the 2027-2028 school year.

The reduction in the sale price serves as payment by the church for use of the space for outdoor worship services for 20 years or for more than 20 years, if the lease is extended, church officials said. The space, as described by the lease the church and school entered into, would also be used for other community activities, including festivals and concerts.

“We want the space to be a benefit to the entire Bayport-area community,” said Bob Dickie, a member of the church who helped negotiate the lease and purchase agreement.

Other expectations: open spaces on the land would have native plantings, and indigenous inhabitants of the St. Croix Valley would be recognized in a public and permanent way on the land “not only for being here first, but also as members of our District 834 communities and schools today,” Dickie said.

Church and district officials came up with a “shared values statement” and expressed opportunities for an ongoing partnership on the design and function of the school and outdoor spaces and uses, he said.

“It took a year of discernment to arrive at the decision to sell the land,” Dickie said. “We know it was the right thing to do, but it was still very difficult. We’re sad that a piece of beautiful open space will be gone forever, but we are happy that future generations of children will have a state-of-the-art school in their hometown. We also are happy that Bayport’s adjoining park will be protected and the city residents can come together and celebrate a big win. A lot of church people worked very hard to preserve it.”

The purchase agreement was signed on Friday.

Superintendent Mike Funk said that an elementary school has been “a central part of the Bayport community for more than 100 years.”

“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the church, and the city of Bayport, to ensure generations of students to come will continue to have access to a high quality education with their community,” Funk said in a statement. “The purchase agreement and lease reflect the district and St. Croix United’s shared values of environmental stewardship, social justice, and an inclusive education for all students. We look forward to a long and deepening partnership.”

Site preparation will begin in early 2025.

The sale of the land, which is located in Baytown Township, was contingent on the Nov. 7 passage of the school district’s $175 million bond referendum and the church’s approval. The referendum is paying for projects to address growth in parts of the district and to improve safety at schools throughout the district.

The land will be annexed into the city of Bayport at a later date, officials said.