By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Fourteen months after Stafford County Economic Development began making headway on a new childcare facility, that facility is now open for business. A modular building set at 413 N. Pearl in St. John will host two daycare operations. Logen Kernell has been approved by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and her Happy Hearts Daycare opened Aug. 1.
"The building's in really good shape, so she's already moved into her side," said outgoing Eco Devo Director Kathleen Norman. "The other side is also available for rent to someone else wanting to open a daycare. We're still in the process of wrapping up some of the exterior things."
Many of the utilities at the modular facility were installed in December. Norman said weather and contractor issues have delayed some projects, but the concrete has been poured and the grass is beginning to grow. Once the grass is established, mulch and playground equipment will be installed.
New Eco Devo Director Ryan Russell said more projects are in the works in Stafford and Macksville, but those projects are in the relatively early stages of development. Eco Devo hopes more grants will become available for more daycare facilities in the county.
"It's a first time we're seeing these grants, which is exciting," Norman said. "They're needed. It's refreshing that people have heard that there's a need to have the funding, and they're actually coming up with opportunities for that. At the same time, it's doing the work to be able to have a plan to be able to have a project that meets their qualifications, then being able to carry out the project."
Kernell is a Fowler native that currently lives in Great Bend. Anyone interested in getting on her waiting list at Happy Hearts can email [email protected], or call (620) 539-3102. Anyone interested in renting the other half of the modular building for a second daycare can email [email protected].