Spencer School Board discusses expanding childcare center

By this time next year, the Spencer School District is expected to have its very own infant and toddler childcare center. At their Dec. 21 regular meeting, the Spencer Board of Education discussed plans to build the center and different ways to pay for the project.

The board listened to a presentation by District Administrator Mike Endreas, who went over the information received so far with regards to the project. For the past few months, the district has been looking into the possibility of building its own childcare center, expanding upon the Rookie Rockets Learning Center which is already open to children ages 3 and older.

Near the end of October, members of the Spencer administration traveled to the Pittsville Infant Care Center to tour their facilities and gain more information about such a venture. They had also decided at the November regular meeting to move forward to making some tentative designs for the building to help get an idea on what the project is expected to cost.

At the latest meeting, Endreas revealed the estimated cost for the 3,000-square-foot space to be added, with two different prices given based on the materials used for the project. Boson Company of Marshfield provided the district estimates for a structure made out of wood framing and one made out of brick. The wooden structure was estimated to cost $1.89 million while the structure made from brick was expected to cost $1.36 million.

With these numbers in mind, Endreas said the next step was to figure out a way to pay for the construction. While the board did not make a decision on what way they plan to fund the project, Endreas did list several options they could try. About $134,000 still remains from the $5.98 million building referendum passed back in 2019 that they could use, along with $517,000 in extra Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) Grant funding the school district had learned it was in line to receive a few months ago.

“Building the infant care center would fall under the criteria it needs for funding, but I do want to pump the brakes a bit,” said Endreas. “We haven't yet gotten the $517,000 from FEMA, so we should wait on that to make sure we have those funds before committing to this project.”

Members of the board asked a few questions regarding the infant care center. Costs were a big concern, as the board asked if the numbers from Boson Company were locked-in estimates or if they would have to rebid the project later as they iron out the details. It was decided that a meeting should be held with Boson to discuss the designs and costs of the project, but no date was set.

Endreas also gave a rough timeline for the construction of the infant care center. After the designs are finalized, he said March would be the expected project start date, and it would be concluded either in October of next year if they go with the wood design, or in December if they use brick. When completed, the center is expected to be able to care for 15 infants and 25 toddlers.