A land swap has been worked out between Ottawa City Hall and the Peoria Catholic Diocese. And it could get Ottawa off the list of places that still need radiation cleanup.
Mayor Dan Aussem says the diocese wants to build a handicap ramp in the courtyard between St. Columba School and St. Columba Church. Kids from the school already play on playground equipment there during recess. The city will get an empty lot on Guion St. north of the riverwalk and west of the Marquette High School football practice field.
On the lot currently owned by the diocese, the city would approve restrictions to prevent digging more than four feet deep. That would satisfy the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It decided leaving contamination and restricting the land’s use was better than removing all the radioactive remnants.
That material came from the glow-in-the-dark paint companies that operated in the city. During the last century, a few property owners used it as fill for low areas.
This courtyard area already looks like it belongs to Marquette Academy’s St. Columba School.