COUNCIL BLUFFS, Ia. (KMTV) - The battle to keep Baughn Street open continues after the Council Bluffs City Council voted to approve a proposal from the YMCA to vacate Baughn Street. But one resident filed a lawsuit against the city.
Council Bluffs resident and pharmacist Tony Beraldi has been spearheading the effort to keep Baughn Street open since the end of October. Now, the fight continues.
"I think we were all ready to testify. We were eager to get up there and tell our side of the story," Beraldi said.
But the hearing didn't happen because the city filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit. For now, there is a small victory. The court says the city will not sell Baughn Street until there's an actual hearing.
"We feel like justice has been served today," Alison Kanne, an attorney working with Beraldi, said.
Beraldi says he will keep fighting as long as he can.
"We're very concerned about safety on our street with all those excess cars coming. We believe it's going to be a disaster for kids, crossing the street, especially going over to a brand new park that's going to be a nice park," Beraldi said.
Kanne says her team is ready for the next steps.
"We are going to be ready to make those arguments in a couple of weeks here and we look forward to making those arguments in the court," Kanne said.
Months later, the battle for Baughn Street persists.
"Everywhere I go, people are really supportive of us. They want to see neighbors concerned about our neighborhood stand up for themselves and be heard, and I feel confident the people in Council Bluffs support us," Beraldi said.
The court reset the hearing for June 4th. 3 News Now reached out to the city for comment but the city declined.
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