Jackson Board discusses revised agreement with Immaculate Conception to abandon E. Jefferson

An agreement previously struck down is moving ahead with some modifications after Monday's Jackson Board of Aldermen meeting.

The agreement, struck down Nov. 5, would have approved Immaculate Conception Catholic Church's request for the city to abandon a segment of East Jefferson Street.

Only two aldermen had voted in favor of the agreement: Alderman Joe Bob Baker and Alderwoman Katy Liley, according to city documents.

At that meeting, city attorney Tom Ludwig was asked to create a new contract, and at Monday's study session, Ludwig presented the amended language.

The church had asked for the street's abandonment for two reasons: one, for construction of a new church after fundraising � scheduled to begin in 2019 � is completed; and two, for the safety of churchgoers crossing the street close to a busy U.S. 61.

Several board members had expressed concern over the agreement, and Ludwig said his revisions addressed concerns he heard members raise.

Ludwig shared �very preliminary� plans for Immaculate Conception's church campus, which, of the aldermen, only Liley had seen prior to Monday's meeting.

In the revised agreement, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau will submit a final construction plan to the city, and after city staff approves it and the board of aldermen approves the abandonment request, the diocese will then have a three-month time limit to begin construction.

That would avoid abandonment of the section of East Jefferson Street in question until the diocese is more or less ready to begin construction.

If construction hasn't begun within three months, Ludwig said, the agreement would be rendered null, and the diocese would have to approach the aldermen again with another agreement, essentially beginning the process over again.

Ludwig also added a provision that would give the diocese only five years to apply for the abandonment, to provide a time limit, he said.

�I�m not sure you could bind a future council in perpetuity, so I wanted to put a sunset provision on this, so if the project doesn't get going, it will be [up to the future board],� Ludwig said in study session.

�None of these changes come from me,� Ludwig said. �They come from what I heard you all saying when you debated this.�

Board members expressed support for the amended agreement, which will be added to the Dec. 3 meeting agenda.

Other action

• The board of aldermen regular meeting for Jan. 21 was rescheduled to Jan. 23, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
• A public hearing was set for 6 p.m. Dec. 17, regarding the voluntary annexation of 0.44 acres at 4080 S. Old Orchard Road, submitted by the McKendree Chapel Memorial Association.
• Board members accepted a proposal from United Healthcare of Maryland Heights, Missouri, to provide employee insurance benefits in 2019.
• A temporary construction easement deed was accepted for East Main Street for the traffic signal project at East Main Street and Oak Hill Road.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630