Kalispell Public Schools has entered into an agreement to purchase land as a future school site.

The school district negotiated an agreement that includes purchasing land owned by Walter Stoller and swapping it for an adjacent piece of property owned by Sam and Julie Baldridge.

Both land parcels are about 25 acres and are south of town along Airport Road.

The district initially will purchase the Stoller property for $385,000. The sale is contingent upon swapping titles for the Baldridge property southeast of the Ashley Park Subdivision.

Kalispell Public Schools Superintendent Mark Flatau said both property owners and the district signed an agreement Friday for the purchase and title transfer.

Conditions of the property swap include a $25,000 cash payment to Baldridge, annexation into the city and rezoning from agricultural to public use.

West Venture Real Estate Agent Dave Girardot said the payment is because of the costs associated with developing the Stoller property.

“The Stoller land has some more topography issues,” Girardot said during a Tuesday school board meeting.

Including the cash payment and other attorney and title fees, the land transaction will cost an estimated $416,500.

The district intends to use existing money in an interlocal agreement fund to make the purchase.

Although the district will not request money from taxpayers, it does need voter approval prior to completing the purchase. Elementary district voters will decide the issue during the Nov. 4 general election.

“There is no request for funding. We have the money in the bank and we’ve been saving for this,” Flatau said. “All we’re asking for is approval to make the purchase.”

The Baldridge property is large enough to potentially build an elementary and middle school.

The district has been searching for properties for several months to plan ahead for continued growth at the elementary level. It didn’t take long for classroom additions completed at Peterson and Edgerton at the start of the 2013-14 school year to reach capacity. Each school had four classrooms built.

When the property now owned by the Baldridges came onto the market, the district made an offer in March for its appraised value of $420,000 but was unsuccessful and the property was purchased by the Baldridges.

Although the Baldridge property was never listed on the market, the owners were willing to sell the property to the district at an asking price higher than the appraised value — $475,000.

The adjacent Stoller property, however, was on the market at $420,000, but the concern at the time was that it would be cost-prohibitive to develop. In June, it was estimated to cost $2.4 million to build infrastructure through the Baldridge property to reach the Stoller property.

During Tuesday’s board meeting, trustee Mary Ruby asked Girardot why the Baldridges were willing to do the property swap. Girardot didn’t want to speculate but said, “I think at the end of the day his property is going to be worth more with a school next to it.”

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at [email protected].