By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The Great Bend school district answered part of the question of what to do with the old Washington school building at Monday’s Great Bend City Council meeting. The City Council voted 5-3 to approve a lease agreement with USD 428 to move the Parent Teacher Resource Center from Washington to the Front Door facility on 10th Street owned by the City.
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Sections of Washington were built in the early 1900s and there are unused areas containing lead-based paint and asbestos. USD 428 Superintendent Khris Thexton said finding a new location for the PTRC was a top priority.
"We looked at getting rid of the older part of Washington," said Thexton. "The original thought was to leave the current PTRC and make it a standalone building. The cost was extremely prohibitive to do that. It was going to better off if we found an alternative location for PTRC."
The PTRC is open to the public and teachers to complete crafts, laminate or other classroom projects. Thexton said around 100 people make use of the facility each day.
The PTRC will take over the room at the Front Door that has been used as a daycare facility since 2009 by the Great Bend Children’s Learning Center. Over the past several years, the utilization by the daycare went from year round to only in the summer months due to staffing issues.
Councilmember Jolene Biggs was open to sending out a Request For Proposal (RFP) to see if any other daycare providers wanted to start or move their business in the Front Door facility.
"I was involved four or five years ago when daycare was such a huge thing," said Biggs. "I checked with Sara (Sara Arnberger, Great Bend Economic Development Director) today, and it hasn't gone away. Although I wouldn't mind USD 428 using that, it seems if there is still a need for daycare, I think we should at least put out an RFP to see if there is any interest."
The Children’s Center is also looking at opening an additional room at their facility on 22nd Street.
A lease agreement will be prepared and brought back to the City Council for final approval.