During Flagstaff County Council’s regular monthly meeting on Aug. 19, Joyce Biggs, Dan Fee, Diane Gordon, and Andrea Bole made a presentation on behalf of the Flagstaff Kid’s Connections Daycare Centre.

The group presented Council with a projected budget and action plan.

“We’re a group that got together because we knew there was a need,” said Fee, vice-chair of the committee.

Fee added that only about half of those working on the committee had a need for childcare, and that the rest are helping in order to assist those who require the services.

The group had previously sent a bit of background to Council, outlining their progress since a public meeting about child care options in June of 2014. They recognized the need for more child care options in the area, stating that the proposed daycare centre would not replace existing day homes, but would simply provide an alternative for those who are unable to get their children into the day homes or are on waiting lists.

The group released a survey to gauge interest from area parents, and visited the Hughenden, Consort, and Castor childcare centres in order to see what facilities are necessary in similarly sized centres.

They found, according to Fee, that no existing properties in Killam would fit their specific needs, and they decided to build a new structure.

The Town of Killam was approached in June of this year for assistance with the cause, and they agreed to donate a vacant lot for the future site of the centre. The lot is being rezoned from residential to institutional for this use.

After researching possible types of buildings, they are now looking toward Seacan constructions.

“Cost was one of the major considerations because it is less expensive,” said Fee.

The committee is also looking at solar power options, though they need to have more concrete plans about the size and type of their building before they will be able to get proper estimates for that type of electricity.

“The costs are high, but we feel it will pay off,” said Fee.

The size of the building, the group said, would depend on the amount of funding that they are able to secure.

Fee listed a number of different uses for a possible partial or full second storey on their daycare building, including parent classes or a possible new location for the Killam playschool.

The playschool currently runs out of the Baptist Church basement, which Fee said can be difficult due to the area only being accessible by stairs, and the school sometimes having to cancel classes due to the church being used for funerals. These other uses would also give some extra income for the facility.

If the childcare building was able to incorporate a second level, the group has plans to include a lift for easy access.

“It’s always easier to build for growth, rather than to build for right now and try to expand later,” said Fee.

“How much funding we get will determine how big we can go.”

Councillor Wade Lindseth brought up the idea of partnering with other areas of the county, such as Daysland, who have also expressed interest in having a daycare facility.

Fee stated that the majority of the people involved in their project are from the Killam area, though they would be interested in working with others as well.

He mentioned a recent petition supporting their project that received a substantial amount of votes from the public in Killam.

Fee proposed the idea of starting with a central location in Killam, with the possibility of creating satellites elsewhere if there was adequate interest.

“We would definitely be interested in working with them,” said Biggs, chairperson of the committee. She said that the planned central location simply has the biggest demand at this time.

“Our goal is to be mortgage-free when we open,” Biggs added. She noted that if they were able to pay off the building outright, they would be able to deal with their monthly costs with no further funding.