Sharon Coolidge | Cincinnati Enquirer

The Enquirer / Pat Brennan

Sam Greene & Carrie Cochran/The Enquirer

As talks got underway this summer for the rebuild of Stargel Stadium in the West End to make way for a new Major League Soccer stadium, it quickly became clear to everyone involved in the building process that Cincinnati Public Schools needed to take the lead.

After all, it's the school district's stadium.

And FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding agreed. So he's turning over the $10 million he pledged for the rebuild to the school district to build the stadium as it wants, with the agreement that all Stargel-related promises in the community benefits agreement are fulfilled.

That money is on top of the property taxes the team will pay the school district.

"As a Board member, this idea is worth considering as it helps streamline the process of building a stadium that our students, parents and our community wants," said board member Ryan Messer. "Otherwise, we could end up in an endless game of the telephone game as we move forward in building the new Stargel Stadium. Cincinnati Public Schools is experienced in leading and executing projects like this. It’s absolutely in our wheelhouse."

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Cincinnati's planning commission approved a land swap Friday that paved the way for the high school stadium and the MLS stadium.

CPS earlier this year agreed to trade Stargel Stadium at Taft IT High School to FC Cincinnati for land diagonally across Ezzard Charles Drive from the school. FC Cincinnati has pledged to spend $10 million to build a new stadium on the site for Taft and the other CPS schools that play at Stargel.

Moving and rebuilding Stargel was controversial, with some in the community saying Stargel should remain as it is now. But the school board agreed to the move in exchange for promises the new stadium would be better for the students.

Then FC Cincinnati will build its own $214 million soccer stadium where Stargel now sits.