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Le Mars staff outline daycare expansion, park design work as part of year‑one community development plan
Summary
City staff said plans are underway to design a second childcare building, coordinate with the school district on preschool services and begin design work for O'Toole Park and Municipal Park after a charette identified $11 million in projects and the city committed $5.5 million in local auction sales tax.
City staff reported that several components of Le Mars' year‑one community development plan are moving into the design stage, including planning for a second childcare building, expanded coordination with the school district on preschool services, and park design work for O'Toole Park and Municipal Park.
The report said the existing childcare center is serving “over 120” children and that staff have begun design work for a second building on an acre lot immediately north of the current center, across the street from the site being planned for a new elementary school. Staff told the council that completing design work before state grant application windows open—often short—will improve the city's ability to compete for funding when the second daycare must be built.
The school district is partnered with the daycare, providing meals and transportation for some preschool children, staff said. The city presentation also noted the school district recently received a grant (not specified in the meeting record) to provide students with early childhood education training opportunities; staff described that as an added community benefit.
On parks, staff described a community charette held in February that identified about $11,000,000 worth of potential projects for O'Toole Park. The city has approved $5,500,000 in local auction sales tax to support those park projects, and the Le Mars Area Betterment Foundation will lead fundraising to cover the remaining $5,500,000, staff said. Design work for O'Toole Park is already underway; staff also said design work for Municipal Park will start as the projects proceed.
Staff framed the design work as preparatory: having plans ready will allow the city to pursue state grant opportunities and to coordinate traffic and site planning with school project staff already working on a footprint and site plan for the new school parcel.
No formal ordinance or bond vote related to the parks or daycare was recorded in the meeting minutes provided; staff characterized the council's action as approving the next step of starting design work and fundraising outreach.
