Jackson church asks city to abandon street for new building

One church in Jackson is requesting the city close a section of a street between the church and school, citing safety and continuity concerns.

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church at 208 S. Hope St. is planning to build a new church, said the Rev. John Harth, pastor/rector of Immaculate Conception, when he spoke to the board of aldermen during Monday night�s study session.

�Our thought is to make our complex be drawn together,� Harth said. �Right now, it�s separated by the street. Children cross the street multiple times a day.�

Harth said that�s a safety issue, so the church is requesting the city close East Jefferson Street between South Hope and South Ohio streets.

The bulk of church-service parking is in the school�s parking lot Saturdays and Sundays, and students at the school attend services on the weekdays, meaning several people are crossing from the parking lot to the church every day, Harth said.

Aside from that issue, Harth said, when the new church is built, the plan is to use the entire block for construction, save for the one house the church doesn�t own on that block.

Harth said the planning committee is still presenting materials to church members, and no plans are final.

Plans will be posted for an informational session beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday in the school cafeteria, said Alderwoman Katy Liley at the study session.

When reached by phone Tuesday, deacon Walter Biri said fundraising won�t be permitted until mid-2019, a requirement by the diocese.

At the meeting, Harth said the time frame for construction of the new church has not been specified.

�That will depend on fundraising,� Harth said.

According to diocese rules, Harth said, the parish must have raised at least half of the final cost before construction can begin, and, Biri said Tuesday, that cost has not yet been estimated.

City administrator Jim Roach said city staff and Harth had taken a preliminary look at ways to handle utilities in the area, and he would like to take a closer look, �flesh out particulars.�

Of particular note would be emergency vehicle access, Roach said, and input from citizens who live adjacent to the property or who would otherwise have a concern.

City attorney Tom Ludwig said in the study session the street could be abandoned gradually by the city, and kept open for public use until the board determines the church is ready for the closure.

�It could close during school hours with a barricade,� as an example, Ludwig said.

Biri said Tuesday one of his concerns is parking for people who use a wheelchair or have other need for special parking, since as it is now, the handicapped-accessible parking is across the street from the church, which, he said, �defeats the purpose.�

Biri said the current church, built in the 1960s, needs expensive repairs, and is too small to meet the needs of the present congregation.

When he and his wife moved to the parish in the late 1970s, Biri said, the parish had about 650 families. Now it�s closer to 1,150 families, he said.

�We�ve outgrown the space,� Biri said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

208 S. Hope St., Jackson, Mo.