By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
How do you fund a $1.6 million childcare center? Great Bend Economic Development appears to be on the right track after Monday’s joint meeting between the Great Bend City Council and Barton County Commission.
Economic Development has raised over $435,000 for the project and requested that the Barton County Commission match the money raised. That would bring the total funds to $870,000 and then Economic Development would apply for a matching grant to double that figure again.
Being asked to contribute over $400,000, the commission wanted to ask the City of Great Bend to chip in funding since the new daycare will be located in Great Bend. Councilmember Jolene Biggs mentioned she didn’t feel comfortable with the city providing any more funding.
"The city received a little over $2 million in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, and the city council approved giving $1 million of that to the loft project," said Biggs. "At this time, there are still many projects within the city that need help, and I personally struggle with pulling more than that 50% from them to be able to utilize for their own benefit."
Great Bend also gave Economic Development $100,000 in extra funds for the 2022 budget with the majority of the amount going towards the salary of the new daycare director.
GLMV Architecture has handled the design work of the childcare facility and now Economic Development is waiting on the funding.
After hearing Biggs' comment, commissioner Jennifer Schartz appeared to be onboard with helping Eco Devo fund the facility.
"We (Barton Co. Commission) all nodded that we were very interested in the new childcare facility," said Schartz. "That was before I realized Economic Development had not even asked the city. I would be remiss if we didn't at least ask. I'm going to withdraw all more concerns because I think we are working together for the same thing and we can make it happen."
A childcare task force studied a daycare model in Garden City to eventually make the Great Bend facility sustainable. Earlier this year, it was reported the daycare center will likely house no more than 59 children.