How do you pay for a $71 million childcare center in Lacey? 3 partners will find out
The city of Lacey is set to approve a memorandum of understanding with the North Thurston Public Schools and South Sound YMCA to pursue the goal of bringing a large childcare and family recreation center to the area.
The Young Child and Family Center has been proposed on property north of Nisqually Middle School off Marvin Road Southeast.
But long before any construction takes place, the three partners, who gathered Thursday during a Lacey City Council work session, have to determine how they will pay for a project that is now estimated to cost $71 million, up from a previous estimate of $63 million.
The partners are prepared to spend as much as $150,000 on a feasibility study that will identify potential funding sources, such as state and federal grants. Perhaps most important: It will shed light on the fundraising capacity of the community, City Manager Scott Spence said.
Although the center is expensive, there is a serious lack of childcare in the area, according to the state Department of Children, Youth & Families, which has identified the North Thurston Public Schools area as an “extreme childcare access desert,” and reported that more than 40 percent of childcare centers closed during the pandemic.
But costs are already weighing on the minds of council members.
Council member Lenny Greenstein said he supports the project, but believes the cost of the study is exorbitant. Council member Carolyn Cox, too, said that sharing that number now might invite bids to be that high.
Kyle Cronk, president and chief executive of South Sound YMCA, defended the process, saying they want the study to be thorough.
“We want the high water mark in case we need to do something a little different,” Cronk said, but he added that he doesn’t believe the study will be anywhere near that expensive. He estimated the cost of the study at $25,000 to $30,000.
The center, which would occupy a 15-acre site, is expected to have 23 classrooms and serve 600 children annually. The partners also want it to have public features that families can use, such as an indoor pool, an indoor recreation center and spray park. The indoor pool would not be lap pool, but a family-oriented pool with water features.
Other partners in the venture might be the military — Lacey has a large military population — and a medical provider. For example, Mason Health occupies 2,000 square feet at the Shelton YMCA where it provides behavioral health, wellness and chronic disease management services, Cronk said.
Cronk also cautioned the council that the feasibility study might show that the community can’t support $71 million, but It might show the community can support $25 million, he said.
Greenstein and Deputy Mayor Malcolm Miller said they understood, but it was still important to “swing for the fences.”
North Thurston Public Schools supports the project, Assistant Superintendent Troy Oliver said.
“They’re all our children and all our students and all our families,” he said. “This has the potential to be a significant impact for our community and a great step forward.”
This story was originally published July 30, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
