PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — State government sold part of the STAR Academy complex near Custer at auction Wednesday.

State Lands Commissioner Ryan Brunner said a 40-acre parcel brought a bid of $320,000. He said there wasn’t an offer for the other 133 acres and the buildings.

“That reduces the footprint, generates some cash and gets the property back on the tax rolls,” Brunner said about the 40 acres.

The property had been a state hospital that then-Governor Bill Janklow closed in 1996. He converted it to a juvenile-detention center. Then-Governor Dennis Daugaard closed the juvenile facility in 2016.

This was the third time state government tried to sell the property.

Brunner didn’t get a bid at an auction last week for the former West River Extension building in Rapid City.

Asked about his next move on the STAR Academy, Brunner said he would have to visit with the state Department of Corrections and the governor’s office for guidance how they want to proceed.

“We could schedule another auction, split off more land options, or a lot of other possibilities to make the site more attractive to bidders,” he said.

The latest STAR Academy appraisal is here. The latest West River Extension appraisal is here.