The Carroll City Council finalized an ordinance at their meeting earlier this week to transfer ownership of a section of S. East Street to the Kuemper Catholic School System to facilitate their upcoming campus expansion plans. The council approved the ordinance’s first reading at the Feb. 23 meeting, but opted to hold off on waiving the second and third readings to allow more time for public input. City Attorney Dave Bruner says there has been no recorded opposition to the city’s proposed release of interest in the two blocks.
The stretch of road in question is between Anthony Street and 1st Street. All the properties immediately adjacent to this section of East Street are owned by the school, St. John Paul II Parish, St. Anthony Regional Hospital, or closely affiliated foundations, and these organizations have worked through the campus expansion development to ensure the plans don’t interfere with one another. With no additional public comments at the March 9 meeting, the council unanimously approved the second reading, waived the third reading, and adopted the ordinance transferring East Street to Kuemper Catholic. Any associated fees with the vacation will be covered by Kuemper Catholic. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin this spring, and school officials have scheduled a formal groundbreaking ceremony for Monday, May 18, at the campus. The neighboring St. Anthony Regional Hospital is also in the midst of a $32.6 million campus improvement project, so this section of Carroll will be a hive of activity for the next several years.
