Much needed childcare spaces are on the way for St. Thomas.
At a special meeting Tuesday night, city council unanimously approved construction of an 88-space facility on St. Catharine Street with Graceview Enterprises of Belmont submitting the lowest bid at $3.9 million.
Graceview was the contractor on the 16 micro-apartments developed above the Talbot Street transit centre, now known as the Railway City Lofts.
Because of $2.6 million in provincial funding, the centre must be completed by next December which raised concerns with Coun. Lori Baldwin-Sands.
City manager Wendell Graves advised the operator of the childcare centre will soon be announced.
Final cost of the centre is expected to be $4.7 million with the city on the hook for $670,000 in short-term financing.
The city was faced with what Graves referred to as a “soft” business case back in 2019 when the decision was made not to proceed with Phase 2 of the community and social services hub at 230 Talbot Street, which was to be the original home of the childcare facility.
The municipal parking lot on St. Catharine Street was then selected as a future home for a proposed childcare centre.
The project was originally to be sent out for tendering in July of this year but delayed until the fall in the hope construction costs may ease.
At that time the projected cost of the centre was pegged at $4.3 million, about $300,000 higher than hoped for.
At that July meeting, Coun. Baldwin-Sands observed, “Childcare spaces in our community are desperately needed and I believe once we start coming out of COVID a little more rapidly, the people who are going to be requiring the service of daycare is going to be growing exponentially.”
