Winneshiek County wants to buy five acres of the North Winn property

Winneshiek County representatives have begun talking with staffers at the Decorah Community School District about the former North Winneshiek School property.

The county is interested in buying five acres of the property so it can build a new snow plow barn so plow drivers don't have to drive so far to get to roads in the northwest corner of the county.

Decorah Community School District officials have responded by asking if the county would like to trade five acre parcels, so the school district would have new property it could use for a school bus barn.

However, county representatives don't feel any of the county-owned property in the Decorah area would work for a school bus barn location.  They're hoping the school district would agree instead to selling the property outright to the county.  Part of the five-acre parcel is a softball diamond, so school officials will first need to decide whether they want to keep the ball diamond or sell the parcel to the county.