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Operations Committee recommends $100,000 district contribution to renovate former Kwik Trip into childcare center
Summary
The Operations Committee voted to recommend that the School Board approve a $100,000 contribution from Fund 80 to help renovate a donated former Kwik Trip into a licensed childcare center, contingent on grant awards and attorney review and structured as a recoverable agreement.
The Mineral Point Unified School District Operations Committee voted to recommend that the School Board approve a $100,000 district contribution, structured as a recoverable grant or similar legal agreement, to help renovate the donated former Kwik Trip building into a licensed community childcare center.
Alicia Gilkes presented the proposal and the committee heard a project overview showing an estimated total cost of approximately $687,000 for building renovation, furniture and equipment, security systems, professional fees and contingency. Proposed funding sources listed in committee materials include a $250,000 WEDC Community Development Investment Grant, an $80,000 city revolving loan, a $35,000 Community Foundation contribution, approximately $225,000–$250,000 in private financing, and the requested $100,000 from Fund 80.
Committee members generally supported assisting the project but emphasized protecting taxpayer dollars. Discussion focused on making the district contribution contingent on receipt of the WEDC grant, structuring the district contribution as recoverable or forgivable rather than unconditional, and consulting legal counsel to draft an agreement that would protect district funds if the daycare project did not proceed or remain in operation for an agreed-upon period.
Members also raised risks: the Memorandum of Understanding with the city would require the building to continue operating as a daycare, and the district does not intend to become responsible for operating the childcare facility. Committee members noted the district could not feasibly complete the nearly $680,000 project on its own and viewed a $100,000 investment as a more economical way to address local childcare needs than constructing and operating a district-owned center.
The committee discussed operational details for staff access, including negotiating priority access that might reserve four to five slots for district employees, and later deciding whether the district would subsidize any portion of childcare costs while allowing unused reserved slots to be temporarily filled by community families.
Next steps: the committee’s recommendation is subject to attorney review of the proposed agreement structure; the recommendation will be forwarded to the full School Board for action at a subsequent meeting.
