St. Cloud Christian School Beginning Capital Campaign to Renovate Former Crafts Direct Site

(KNSI) – The purchase of the former Crafts Direct building by the St. Cloud Christian School came about fast.

The initial plan was to do an expansion at the east St. Cloud location near Spalt Park. Principal and Head of School Mackenzie Hansen tells KNSI News that was met with skepticism from donors. She says the school didn’t have the funds to do the project itself and needed supporters on board. That’s when another option fell into their laps.

“In the spring, Crafts Direct came up for sale…We then took a look at it, and we brought some initial investors with us, and they were really excited about the potential of the school being in that building. Within six weeks, we had four different generous donors make it possible.”

Hansen notes that there is no timeline for the move. A capital campaign is being planned to help fund the required renovations.

Hansen points out that the school’s square footage will change from about 42,000 to 73,000. Preliminary plans include a mezzanine level at the new site. Hansen was asked about how the new facility will improve the school’s offerings to students. She referenced a varsity gymnasium and much more.

“We really can’t even offer the amount of gym classes we’d like to offer in the day…And then, we do have teachers sharing classrooms. We don’t have any area for industrial learning classes, automotive classes.”

Already, anticipation from building. “Our community has known that we have been looking and trying to find an option for us. And, so it seems that there’s a lot of excitement around the Crafts Direct building.”

Hansen believes the location is more feasible for students from Avon, Rockville, and Cold Spring, which could significantly increase overall enrollment.

On top of the extensive renovations already envisioned, the western side of the commercial center where Back Shed Brewing is could also become classroom space. Hansen says the popular craft brewery will not be able to stay at its current site on Sundial Drive. The purchase agreement stipulates they have another five to eight months before they would need to relocate.

When asked about the future of the building on Third Avenue Northeast, Hansen exclaimed that she was surprised by the amount of interest from potential buyers. Many are in the childcare and early learning industries.

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