CARTER COUNTY, Okla. -- Dickson town trustees have agreed to hand over a 70-acre plot of land to the city of Ardmore.

In a three-to-one vote Tuesday night, trustees decided to de-annex land at State Highway 199 and Mary Niblack Road. This comes after the Dickson Board of Trustees failed to reach a decision last week on whether they would allow the de-annexation.

Oklahoma State University announced months ago their plans to partner with the Noble Foundation in a state-of-the-art research facility. The planned location is just off State Highway 199 at Mary Niblack Road just inside Dickson town limits.

The City of Ardmore will have to provide water and sewer connections to the new campus and will now officially annex the property so those utilities can be provided.

The next step is for Ardmore to annex that land. Officials with Oklahoma State University presented an official annexation petition to the city Wednesday morning.

Officials anticipate being able to take action on that during the September 15th city commission meeting.

Initial plans for the site at Mary Niblack and Highway 199 indicate a two story facility of around 22,000 square feet and a support staff of 35, those being local jobs.

"They're estimating, in five years they’ll have 30 full-time professors out there. Interns will be there doing their study, and they'll be cooperating quite closely with the Noble Foundation on the work that they do," Dan Parrott, Ardmore city manager, said.

OSU is planning to start construction in February of 2009. It will take estimated 18-months to complete. Once it is finished, the $10 million lab complex will focus primarily on non-food bio-diesel research.

As city manager Dan Parrot said, in five years the hope is for 30 full-time professors to staff the complex.