After spending a few years wading through red tape, the Windsor Day Care Society has enough money to build a new centre.
On Jan. 16, society representatives signed a letter of offer issued by the Nova Scotia Housing Development Corporation to secure the last bit of funding they needed to start construction on a modern, 6,000 square foot centre by May — or sooner.
The new two-storey, Victorian-style centre will have an infant care program with eight spaces, job opportunities for up to 14 early childhood educators at full capacity, and room for 80 children — 10 more than the existing facility is licensed to accommodate.
“We have the money… to build, now we’ve got to work on not only getting it built, but raising the money to pay off the loans,” said Leslie Porter, president of the Windsor Day Care Society.
The non-profit society is working with provincial funding to the tune of a $675,000 forgivable loan and a $225,000 repayable loan.
Porter says Ken Crichton of the Hants-Kings Community Business Development Corporation agreed to issue the society a $150,000 repayable loan when he learned they had to meet the million-dollar mark to move forward with construction.
With money in place for the build, the society is focusing on co-ordinating with the project manager, Paul Clarke of Avondale Construction Ltd., to pick up where they left off when the project was stalled due to loan complications in the summer of 2010. The society had to make alterations to the proposed design and reapply for the $675,000 forgivable loan through the Department of Community Services before the government funding could be released.
Now, the society is looking for monetary support for the mortgage, in-kind donations, volunteers and more board members to help guide this project through to fruition.
“We’re really hoping to kick in to a big fundraising initiative,” said Porter, adding that a 25-year mortgage can be taxing on a non-profit daycare.
The new centre will be located on a parcel of land behind the Windsor Regional Library. The Windsor Day Care Society will be purchasing the land for the new Windsor Day Care Centre from the Town of Windsor once their old building sells.
“We’re moving forward now and hopeful that the community will come together and help the daycare, and the society, get into their new building.”
The Windsor Day Care Centre’s director, Pat Post, says this good news has been a long time coming, and the staff at the child care facility that has been in Windsor since 1976 are starting to get excited about the new opportunities that will arise when they trade their century-old building on Stannus Street in for a modern building.
“I can hear the girls starting to dream,” Post said.
“It’s not ‘if’ now — it’s ‘when’ we have our new centre.”
To learn how to get involved, or support the cookie dough fundraiser, call (902) 798-2001.
