Jake Spitzack
Staff Writer
An approximately $8 million plumbing project is set to begin in early April at the 165-unit John Carroll building, forcing all the seniors living there to temporarily relocate. Tenants will be moved in phases – with 12 to 24 units being worked on at a time – and everyone is expected to be out of their apartment for four to eight weeks. The City is offering financial assistance to the residents. Those who stay with family will receive a $500 voucher and those who don’t will be housed free of charge in a hotel. Everybody will get a $100 grocery voucher. The project will take about a year to complete.
The high rise is designated for seniors ages 50 and older and some aren’t physically capable of completing the lengthy to-do list required to prepare their home for construction. Therefore, staff and volunteers from DARTS, a nonprofit agency serving seniors in Northern Dakota County that has an office in the building, will help seniors pack their belongings and assist with relocation. Work includes packing everything in their kitchen and bathroom in storage bins and stowing the bins in a corner so the space can be sealed off for asbestos abatement. The city also hired an additional temporary building caretaker to assist with relocations, the first of which is expected to begin May 10, and DARTS staff will be at the hotel a few days per week to serve those living there. To inquire about lending a hand to seniors, contact DARTS at 651-455-1560 or info@darts1.org.
The plumbing system dates to 1974 when the building was constructed and will be fully replaced. Today, its piping is significantly corroded, has many leaks, and the system has low water pressure. Other updates to the building are also part of the project.
“All the cabinets, kitchen and bathroom flooring, bathtubs, faucets, lighting, and walls are getting renovated,” said South St. Paul Public Housing Program Manager Tiffany Greene. “The ADA units are also going to be made compliant. Since the building was built, code has changed on doorway measures and other requirements.”
Finn Daniels Architects completed engineering work for the project in spring 2022, and in October 2023 Frerich Construction was awarded the $5.67 million construction bid, and VCI Environmental Inc. was awarded the $837,800 asbestos abatement bid. About 55% of the project is being funded through a forgivable loan from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the remainder through Housing and Redevelopment Authority funds.
The neighboring Nan McKay high-rise has 133 units, and its plumbing system was replaced in two phases – in 2011-2012 and 2014-2015. Looking ahead, the John Carroll building will also need an electrical upgrade and roof replacement in the next few years. This work is part of an initiative to address aging city-owned infrastructure, including the public works facility, fire station #2, John Carroll building, well water treatment facilities, buildings of the Northview Pool and Splash Pool, and the old American Legion library. Last year the city hired BKV Architects to complete a City Facilities Master Plan to evaluate the condition of the facilities and it’s expected to wrap up by the end of March.
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