The St. Joseph School board on Tuesday approved a land swap with the City of St. Joseph for construction of a new school at Carden Park, and approved an annexation agreement with the city for construction of a new school a Cook and Bishop Roads.

Under current plans, the district would create entrances off of Cook Road for the east side school project. Road work under the plan would cost between $700 thousand and $800 thousand. An earlier plan, to extend Bishop Road north of Cook Road for the entrances, would have cost roughly double that amount.

But the Cook Road exits would require the approval of variances in current city planning documents. The City Council is expected to get its first look at that plan at its meeting October 1.

At Carden Park, near 16th and Duncan Streets, the district would buy the land from the city for ten dollars. The district would then be responsible for the widening of both 16th and Duncan for access to the new school. The City Council is expected to take up the matter at its October 1 meeting, and possibly place an ordinance on first reading at that time. Under that timetable, the matter would be formally approved on second reading at the council’s meeting October 15.

The school board approved both measures unanimously.