Bids Are In To Redevelop Former Tech High School

Jake Judd (KNSI)

(KNSI) – Bids are in to turn the old St. Cloud Tech High School into the new city hall.

City staff are going through the bids now, and they will be presented to the city council soon.

Mayor Dave Kleis was a guest on KNSI with Bob Hughes and talked about what the city is looking for when going over the bids.

“We set a parameter ahead of time, and this is what we can afford to bond. This is what we can afford to do. And we bid it out. And does it meet that? We already know that the bids for demolition and renovation meet. Now we just have to look at making sure that all of what was in those documents are accurate.”

Once a bid is selected, staff will bring the bid to the council for approval.

Before the decision to turn the 104-year-old high school into city hall, St. Cloud asked for proposals to redevelop the property.

One bid was received to transform the building into senior housing; however, the developer wanted a $10 million subsidy, the building for free, and federal tax credits. The city rejected the proposal.

Kleis says St. Cloud has three interested developers to buy the old city hall, and he wants to make sure the city can get the best bang for its buck.

“What benefit is it going to be for the taxpayer for us to go forward? In general, not only the facility but how is it going to be for the neighborhood? What will we bring forward? Does it meet within the zoning, does it? Does it meet within what is acceptable? We bring that, and of course, ultimately, the public discussion takes place, and the council has to approve it.”

City officials are getting ready to meet with those three companies soon.

Kleis couldn’t say who was interested in the property but stated two companies are from the Twin Cities and one is local.

Tech High School closed in June 2019, and students started going to a new school.

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