St Tars to gain 50 spaces with diagonal parking on Moody, convent demolition
by BRIAN NADIG
About 50 new parking spaces for the Saint Tarcissus Parish are in the works.
Plans call for 19 diagonal parking paces to be installed along the east side of North Moody Avenue in front of the gym and junior high portion of the school, more than doubling the number of spots along that stretch of the street.
The parish will be reimbursing the city up to $65,000 for the project, said Alderman Jim Gardiner (45th). The diagonal spaces will be located just to the south of the parish parking lot, which is next to the Saint Tarcissus Social Center, 5859 N. Moody Ave.
The parish is seeking donations for the project and asks that donors write "diagonal parking" in the check’s memo line so that the funds are properly allocated.
The parish also is planning to gain about 30 additional parking spaces, including some designated handicapped spots, when it demolishes the Parish Life Center (former convent) at 6035 W. Ardmore Ave., said parish pastor Mike Grisolano. Other locations will be found for the ministries which meet in the center.
The parish has been exploring parking options to accommodate the expected attendance increase at church services following the July 1 merger of Saint Tarcissus, Saint Cornelius and Saint Thecla parishes. The parish looked into acquiring the former Produce Center building, 5820 N. Milwaukee Ave., for parking, but the owners are not looking to sell the land, Grisolano said.
The campuses of Saint Cornelius and Saint Thecla will be closing later this year, and the newly consolidated parish has been named Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity.
