5.             CHILDCARE CENTRE REQUEST FOR FUNDING

 

DEMANDE DE FINANCEMENT D’UN CENTRE DE GARDERIE

 

 

Committee Recommendation

 

That Council approve the allocation of $1,004,420 for the relocation and construction of a new childcare centre in lieu of the existing conditions, ongoing issues and constraints encountered at Huron Towers Childcare Centre.

 

 

Recommandation du comité

 

Que le Conseil approuve l’attribution de 1 004 420 $ pour la relocalisation et la construction d’un nouveau centre de garderie au lieu des conditions, des contraintes et des problèmes actuellement rencontrés au centre de garderie Huron Towers.

 

 

 

 

 

Documentation

 

1.   Deputy City Manager's report (Community and Protective Services) dated 8 May  2008 (ACS2008-CPS-PAR-0005).

 

 

 

Report to/Rapport au :

 

Community and Protective Services Committee

Comité des services communautaires et de protection

 

and Council/et au Conseil

 

8 May 2008/le 8 mai 2008

 

Submitted by/Soumis par :

Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager/Directeur municipal adjoint,

Community and Protective Services/Services communautaires et de protection

 

Contact Person/Personne ressource :

Gilles Parent, Parks and Recreation/ Parcs et Loisir

(613) 580-2424 x 41296, Gilles.Parent@ottawa.ca

 

Knoxdale-Merivale (9)

Ref N°: ACS2008-CPS-PAR-0005

 

 

SUBJECT:

CHILDCARE CENTRE REQUEST FOR FUNDING

 

 

OBJET :

DEMANDE DE FINANCEMENT D’UN CENTRE DE GARDERIE

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

 

That the Community and Protective Services Committee recommend that Council approve the allocation of $1,004,420 for the relocation and construction of a new childcare centre in lieu of the existing conditions, ongoing issues and constraints encountered at Huron Towers Childcare Centre.

 

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité des services communautaires et de protection recommande que le Conseil approuve l’attribution de 1 004 420 $ pour la relocalisation et la construction d’un nouveau centre de garderie au lieu des conditions, des contraintes et des problèmes actuellement rencontrés au centre de garderie Huron Towers.

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

The City of Ottawa directly operates 17 municipal childcare centres in the City of Ottawa. Huron Towers Childcare Centre has been in operation at their current leased location at the Huron Towers high-rise apartment complex for over 25 years. The centre provides spaces for principally subsidized clients. Huron Towers’ aging infrastructure has contributed to numerous ongoing issues in the basement facility, which has resulted in the decision to find an alternative location for the childcare centre.

 

In 2007, Parks and Recreation Branch prepared a feasibility study based on the relocation of the current child care facility to an existing City owned or leased property that could be retrofitted to accommodate the centre.  Special attention was paid to properties located on Meadowlands Drive in order to accommodate existing bus users but no suitable site was found.

 

In April 2007, RPAM notified Parks Planning and Development Unit that a City owned parcel, located at 24 Capilano Drive in former Nepean, was available for development and through the formal Land Disposal circulation process, Parks and Recreation was able to secure the site as a potential location for a new childcare centre. The site is located just north of the existing Huron Towers Apartment Complex in the same neighbourhood and very accessible to existing clients. Parks Planning and Development will coordinate the design and construction of the new childcare centre.

 

This report recommends the allocation of $1,004,420 from the Childcare Reserve for the relocation and construction of the new childcare centre with the existing 2008 operating budget having sufficient funds to support the operation of the new facility.

 

 

RÉSUMÉ

 

La Ville d’Ottawa exploite directement 17 centres de garderie municipaux dans la Ville d’Ottawa. Le centre de garderie Huron Towers est en exploitation à son emplacement actuel sous location dans la tour d’habitation Huron Towers, depuis plus de 25 ans. Le centre offre surtout des places à des clients subventionnés. L’infrastructure vieillissante de Huron Towers a contribué à de nombreux problèmes actuels associés au centre qui se trouve au sous-sol, et ceux‑ci ont donné lieu à la décision de trouver un autre emplacement pour le centre de garderie.

En 2007, la Direction des parcs et loisirs a préparé une étude de faisabilité fondée sur la relocalisation du centre de garderie actuel dans une propriété existante appartenant à la Ville, ou louée par celle‑ci, qui pourrait être rénovée pour recevoir le centre. On a porté une attention particulière aux propriétés situées sur la promenade Meadowlands afin d’accommoder ceux qui utilisent l’autobus à l’heure actuelle, mais on n’a pas trouvé de site adéquat.

En avril 2007, la GBI a avisé l’Unité de planification et de développement des parcs qu’une parcelle appartenant à la Ville, située au 24, chemin Capilano dans l’ancien Nepean, était disponible pour le développement; au moyen du processus officiel d’aliénation de terrain, Parcs et loisirs a pu obtenir le site comme emplacement éventuel d’un nouveau centre de garderie. Le site se trouve juste au nord de l’actuelle tour d’habitation Huron Towers, dans le même quartier, et les clients actuels peuvent y accéder très facilement. Planification et développement des parcs coordonnera la conception et la construction du nouveau centre de garderie.

Ce rapport recommande l’attribution de 1 004 420 $ à même le fonds de réserve du service de garderie pour la relocalisation et la construction du nouveau centre de garderie, étant donné que le présent budget de fonctionnement de 2008 comporte des fonds suffisants pour financer l’exploitation de la nouvelle installation.

BACKGROUND

 

In Ottawa, there are 19,020 licensed childcare spaces currently available in 307 programs and 17 municipal childcare centres. The total number of children on the Centralized Waiting List is approximately 11,500. Of the 19,020 licensed childcare spaces available in the City of Ottawa, 7,481 are subsidized and available to low-income families who qualify.

 

Huron Towers Preschool/Kindergarten Childcare Centre is located at 1339 Meadowlands Drive in former Nepean. The centre provides childcare for 44 children, with 37 subsidized spaces. There are currently 616 children on the waiting list, of which, 283 are for a subsidized space in the area served by Huron Towers. As is the case for the majority of municipal childcare centres, Huron Towers is located in a low income and hard to serve area.  Huron Towers offers accessible licensed childcare services in a neighbourhood that otherwise would not be served. The City of Ottawa leases approximately 2,800 square feet of basement space in one of two buildings in the apartment complex. A neighbourhood police office and meeting centre is centrally located between the two high-rise apartment buildings and the outdoor playground is sited north of the police office and separate from the childcare centre. Because of the ongoing constraints and problems associated with the location that have been experienced by staff over the past several years, it is necessary to relocate the childcare centre to another location, given the shortage of spaces currently available.

 

The problems experienced at the childcare centre have occurred two to four times monthly between January 2004 and April 2008 and include continued infestations of mice and cockroaches, silverfish, minimum heat in winter (18C), water shut off, gasoline and chemical odours circulating through the facility, flooding from the entrance door into the facility and from above apartments, poor air circulation, windows sealed shut in winter, leaking ceiling, and snow from the driveways and apartment parking areas dumped into the playground. In several instances, staff have had to close the childcare centre and move the children to other facilities. Since autumn of 2006, these occurrences have resulted in moving the children, cots, food, toys, supplies and staff to an alternative childcare centre by bus to and from the existing facility in the morning and evening and notifying parents of changes in locations. In essence, the facility has far exceeded its lifespan.

 

A feasibility study undertaken by Parks and Recreation Planning and Development Unit, identified several potential locations for a newly constructed facility, evaluating the attributes and constraints of each site. Site options recommended for the Huron Towers Childcare Centre met the Planning and Design Guidelines for Childcare Centres, as outlined by the Province of Ontario, Ministry of Children and Youth Services. These requirements include:

 

 

In April of 2007, Parks and Recreation Branch, Planning and Development Unit, in a coordinated effort with Real Estate Services located an available City owned parcel at 24 Capilano Drive, on which to construct a new childcare centre. During the Circulation for Disposal of the property, Parks and Recreation Branch expressed interest in the property as a potential site for the new childcare centre as it complies with most of the required criteria.

 

This preferred site was chosen as the ideal location, considering its proximity to the adjacent Huron Towers Childcare Facility. A detailed analysis of the site was conducted to ensure it could accommodate the facility. An unoccupied single-family bungalow used as a rental property is currently situated on the Residential zoned parcel in an existing neighbourhood (potential client pools). The current zoning on City property allows for a childcare centre. The property is located within the existing catchment area and to residential areas currently being served by Huron Towers, close to major bus routes and within proximity of major roadways such as Merivale Road and Meadowlands Drive and within proximity to elementary schools for children requiring an after school care program. A new childcare centre constructed at this location will provide continued service to clients currently using the facility.

 

The preliminary stage of the site analysis demonstrated that the proposed site meets the recommended Provincial Planning and Design Guidelines for Childcare Centres. The City owned land provides an important cost saving opportunity for new construction of a new childcare facility. The structure will fit well with existing housing stock for minimal impact on the surrounding neighbourhood and will be close to parks and open space. The facility will accommodate 44 client spaces; however should the requirement to increase this number become necessary in the future, the building would be designed for future expansion opportunities. This requirement will be part of the architect’s terms of reference.

 

In September 2005, Council approved the Green Building Policy for City of Ottawa Buildings. The Policy outlines the benefits of the additional investment of 5% of the total construction cost of new projects in order to take advantage of the operating cost savings associated with sustainable building practises and achieving the LEED Certification target as a minimum. The policy also provides staff with the direction to pursue the Silver LEED rating when it is demonstrated that the investment would be paid back through a reduction in operating costs over a period of seven years. If there is a need for additional capital funding to achieve those savings, staff is to report back to Committee. Typically, the construction of a 3,000 sq. ft. childcare centre would require a capital budget of $900,000.

 

The new childcare centre will be designed as a one storey, barrier free, structure with play area adjacent to the building. It will incorporate low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) surface materials and finishes and high energy efficient windows and doors where funding allows. The construction of the building will convey the ecology theme and influence the childcare programming to emphasize ecology and the environment as part of the children's activities.

 

The costs associated with the new construction have been estimated below:

 

 

The current annual lease and RPAM operating costs for the Huron Towers Childcare Centre is $43,000. Over and above the regular operating costs and due to the reoccurring problems at the current location, Huron Towers Childcare Centre incurs additional costs when it is necessary to relocate the children to another facility. In October and November of 2006, the childcare centre paid an additional $1,750 in costs to relocate the children on days when water or heat was shut off. The preliminary stage of the site analysis demonstrated that the proposed site meets the recommended Planning and Design Guidelines for Childcare Centres, as outlined by the Province of Ontario, Ministry of Children and Youth Services.

 

The cost of a new lease would be considerably higher than the current $12,000 annual rate. Additional funding would be required to supplement the budget pressure of a new lease at current market value. If 3000 sq. ft. of space became available for lease in the catchment area, lease rates for commercial space currently run at approximately $75-$90,000 per year, plus annual operating and inflationary costs, and any leased area would also require renovations to meet the Provincial childcare facility standards.

RPAM Architecture's budget estimate is $1,004,420 for a new 3,000 sq. ft., basic wood frame, slab on grade childcare centre on City owned land.  The estimate is based on a minimum average cost of $330.00 - $340.00/ sq. ft. and includes, demolition, LEED certified construction, design development fees and all contingencies.

 

RPAM 's current operating budget for the Huron Towers property presently leased by the City, is sufficient to cover the operating costs for the new building; no budget increase is required and is exclusive of any program delivery costs. The building will incorporate Green initiatives to reduce operating costs and to reduce it's environmental foot print by including radiant floor heating, extensive green roof, grey water retention, and advanced on-site storm water management.

 

Capital Funding:

In order to support the delivery of the Childcare Program, staff estimate that $1,004,420 in City funding will be required, as follows:

 

 

The funding is proposed to come from the Child Care Reserve that is separate from the Child Care Lifecycle Renewal Program. City staff will bring forward as indicated during budget discussions, an information report in the fall of 2008 regarding this process and the projects that will be funded by the Lifecycle Renewal Program during 2008.

 

 

CONSULTATION

 

The planning team will provide residents with an opportunity to preview the proposed Childcare Centre design proposal at an informal information session.

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

Funds are available in the Child Care Reserve to support construction of a new childcare facility and the 2008 approved operating budget has sufficient funds to support the operation of the new facility.

 

 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

 

Document 1 - Air Photo of Proposed Project Site Location.

 

 

DISPOSITION

 

Community and Protective Services Department will action any direction received as part of consideration of this report.

 

Document 1

 

Proposed Site for New Childcare Centre at 24 Capilano Drive

 

 

 

The location of the proposed site and its proximity to the current childcare facility located at Huron Towers apartment complex (bottom right corner of the photo) is shown above. There exists an informal pathway through the proposed site linking residents of the Minto complexes to Gilby Park and the residential community to Meadowland’s Drive schools and bus stops.