Closing date to buy dog track pushed to December

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Hudson

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At a special meeting May 29, the Hudson Board of Education voted to amend its purchase agreement with the owners of St. Croix Meadows dog track, extending the last possible closing date on the property to Dec. 31, 2012.

The extension was necessary according to district Financial Services Director Tim Erickson to allow time for the City of Hudson to make its decision regarding the rezoning of the 126-acre property from commercial to public use.

At a city plan commission meeting earlier this spring, commission members told the district that they wanted additional information, not just about the St. Croix Meadows property but also about three other properties the district considered as possible sites for a new secondary school.

The purchase of the property for $8.25 million was approved by voters in the April election but that purchase is contingent on the district getting the property rezoned.

Superintendent Mary Bowen-Eggebraaten said the district is gathering the information requested by the commission but said the process will take some time and that the extension on the closing date was necessary.

Erickson said the owners agreed to the extension.

In other business, the board approved open enrollment requests into the Hudson School District for 19 elementary students, denying 23 requests for students at the secondary level, primarily due to space constraints.

Several board members voiced concern over letting the 19 elementary students into the district, knowing the space shortages at both the middle and high school will exist at least for the next several years. Board members Dan Tjornehoj, Sandy Gehrke and Brian Bell voted against accepting the open enrollments.

Deputy Superintendent Nancy Sweet told board members that the district is mandated to accept open enrollment requests if space exists at the grade level requested. She said parents have the option to appeal the board’s decision but relatively few have over the years since the state statute has been in place.

The board approved the transfer out of 50 students from the district, most opting to attend virtual schools. The district will be paid $6,500 for each student accepted into the district and the same amount for each student who opts out.

Sweet said that not all the students who have requested open enrollment will follow through on the process.

Meg Heaton is a reporter for the Hudson Star-Observer

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