After a few months of uncertainty and anxiety, officials of a
proposed day care facility received the go-ahead from the City
Planning Commission on Thursday to put the project out to bid.
Because of the city’s building moratorium, the Planning
Commission had questioned giving the project a building permit. The
issue was appealed to the City Council, which approved the project,
thus exempting it from the moratorium, and sent the issue back to
the Planning Commission.
After a few months of uncertainty and anxiety, officials of a proposed day care facility received the go-ahead from the City Planning Commission on Thursday to put the project out to bid.
Because of the city’s building moratorium, the Planning Commission had questioned giving the project a building permit. The issue was appealed to the City Council, which approved the project, thus exempting it from the moratorium, and sent the issue back to the Planning Commission.
The Council passed a resolution stating that the facility is “essential to the health, safety and welfare of the community” and that it “directly benefits the City of Hollister and alleviates the burden on City services to provide alternative care.”
Thursday night, the Planning Commission approved a conditional-use permit.
“Now we just got to get it built,” said David Wright, chairman of Private Industry Council, Inc., a nonprofit agency.
PIC received a $922,544 grant in 2001 to build a 3,703-square-foot day care facility that would serve 56 children. Because of the moratorium issue, PIC officials worried they would lose half of the grant if construction does not start by the end of March as stipulated in the grant.
To go around the sewer issue, PIC will use a temporary sewage holding tank that would be pumped and emptied by a septic service outside of Hollister.
The cost of the septic service runs around $400 to $600 a month. Since the day care center wouldn’t be up and running until March 2005 and the moratorium might be lifted as soon as late 2005, Wright said the cost of the temporary tank is worth it to keep the $922,544 grant – even if the moratorium is not lifted on schedule.
PIC has 30 conditions it must meet. After those are sorted out, PIC can put the project out for bid. Wright estimated having a contractor on site in 60 days.
“We hope we can get some local contractors to bid on the project. We know how we need the work in Hollister,” Wright said.
For more information on the day care facility, call PIC at 637-9293.
