A new project proposal could breathe life into an unused portion of the Des Moines Masonic Cemetery.
The city of Des Moines plans to sell a section of the cemetery, located southwest of the intersection at 48th Street and Franklin Avenue, to ChildServe to make way for the construction of a 20,000-square-foot facility. The pediatric specialty health care organization will pay $600,000 for the 5-acre parcel at the north end of the property.
The facility would provide child care and outpatient services to children with special health care needs. ChildServe plans to relocate from its current, much smaller Des Moines facility near another cemetery at 644 24th St.
According to a news release, its capacity is expected to increase tenfold, bringing the number of children it can serve from 60 to 600.
“Our ChildServe team members have done an outstanding job making the best use of space at our Des Moines center over the past 15 years, but we have simply outgrown the facility — and the children and families we serve deserve more,” CEO Dr. Teri Wahlig said in the release.