The Eudora school board on Thursday unanimously approved purchase of land for a new first- through fifth-grade elementary school. The purchase is contingent on results of a Nov. 6 vote on a proposed $45 million bond issue.

The board agreed to pay $1,995,000 for 46.6 acres southwest of the intersection at 10th and Peach streets. The land is owned by Robert Durr. Funds for the purchase would be included in the bond.

“From a school district standpoint, I think we feel very good about purchasing the land,” Superintendent Marty Kobza said. “It fits the recommendation from the community advisory committee, and it fills the need for a public space for a school for a neighborhood that does not have one of those.”

A 45-member citizen advisory committee that convened last fall informed the district of its desire to see a school north of Kansas Highway 10.

“When one looks at the costs associated with the property, the board was very responsible,” Kobza said.

The board chose the land over other areas further removed for existing infrastructure, Kobza said. It would have been much more expensive to build the school in the other areas, he said.

The $27 million elementary school will be the largest project included in the bond issue.

Preliminary designs for the 1,000-student building by DLR Group depict the school as containing five different “neighborhoods.” Each grade level would have its own pod containing two sets of classrooms and a shared “discovery area.”

Should the bond pass, the district tentatively plans to open the school in fall 2009.