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CRA selects Community Action Program to operate Alice S. Williams childcare center; renovations near completion
Summary
The CRA reported that the former Alice S. Williams Library at 1015 NE Street will be repurposed as a high-quality infant-care facility; the CRA has invested $550,000 in renovations and recommended Community Action Program, Inc. as the operator, with lease and council approvals forthcoming.
City staff updated the CRA on the Alice S. Williams reuse project at 1015 Northeast Street, reporting that the CRA has invested $550,000 toward renovations and that construction is anticipated to be completed this month. The project will convert the former library into a high-quality infant-care facility intended to expand access to early-childhood care, support working families, and preserve a cultural asset in the West Side CRA.
Staff said the CRA issued a notice of intent and an RFP for a childcare operator; following a January proposal and selection-committee review, staff recommended Community Action Program, Inc. (CAP) as the qualified operator. Teresa Sharp described CAP’s qualifications, noting the selection committee found CAP met and in some areas exceeded the RFP’s quality standards, including Gold Seal criteria. Staff said lease negotiations are underway and that approvals for disposal and lease arrangements will come to CRA and city council at upcoming meetings.
Vice Chair Bair and other board members remarked that CAP had expressed prior interest in the property and that CAP faces classroom-space constraints; staff clarified that Gibson School was rendered unsafe by Hurricane Sally and that the city intervened for safety reasons, rather than removing a tenant for operational reasons. Board members expressed support for placing a qualified operator in the renovated facility and asked staff to coordinate a potential ribbon-cutting once construction completes.
Staff said the CRA will retain responsibility for major maintenance (roof, structural repairs) while the tenant will handle day-to-day maintenance. The CRA will return to council for the required disposal and lease approvals as part of standard property and lease procedures.
