September 23, 2022 |
More discussion is needed before Valley Village Childcare and the Town of Saratoga sign a lease to house a daycare at a town-owned building.
As reported by Bigfoot 99, the Platte Valley Clinic will relocate to the North Platte Valley Medical Center when construction is finished. Once that happens, Ellie Dana, vice-chairperson of the Valley Village Childcare board of directors, wants move the daycare and preschool into the building that now houses the clinic.
The Ray A. Corbett Medical Building, at 1208 South River Street, was donated to the Town of Saratoga by the Corbett Medical Foundation.
During last Tuesday’s town council meeting, Dana asked the town to uphold their duty as landlord by making repairs she says are necessary. Dana came to the meeting with a building inspector’s report saying the clinic needs exterior maintenance. She is asking the town council to agree to make the repairs as part of their ongoing lease negotiations.
The town asked Dana to create this report during their last council meeting.
Dana lists five items she wants addressed. She is requesting that the building be painted, the 27-year-old roof replaced, gutters installed and the parking lot repaved. Dana also wants the pillars in front of the building to be repaired after being struck by multiple vehicles.
Mayor Creed James doesn’t deny that the town is responsible for these items. He said there isn’t any money set aside for the repairs.
Councilman Ron Hutchins expressed concerned about the growing cost of Dana’s demands. He asked if the town would be stuck dumping money into the building forever.
Councilman Jon Nelson said the building needs refurbished. Nelson also acknowledged the benefits a daycare facility would provide the town, but is concerned over the price. He wants council to hold public hearings to gain input more public input before the town sings a lease with the daycare.
Pictured above: File photo of the Ray A. Corbett Medical Building. Photo by Bigfoot 99.
Some of the items that Dana is requesting are expensive, such as repaving the parking lot. Councilman Nelson questioned if the town should just sell the building.
Dana said the town simply can’t sell it to her company. There may be stipulations in the deed that say what the town can do with the building. Also, the town couldn’t promise Dana the building. They would have to offer it up for sale to everyone.
The town can’t afford to fix all of the issues at once. Mayor James said that getting quotes for everything would be a good idea. Knowing the cost of each job will allow the council to work on one thing at a time.
Dana is looking to sign a 10-year lease with the town with another 10-year renewal after that. She said that leasing the building from the town was cheaper than building a new one. The council will take the matter under consideration after receiving the repair quotes for the requested work.
