Talks between the nonprofit organization Go Kids, Inc. and the county over a piece of property worth $500,000 are still in progress after the parties met Tuesday to discuss plans.
Go Kids has been using county property at 5381 Fairview Road for low or no cost to operate a state-subsidized childcare center, but now the county is reviewing the support it gives to all nonprofits as directed by the board of supervisors last June.
“They came back at me again and said, ‘Were we interested in buying the building?’ and I said, ‘We don’t have a half million dollars,’ ” said Larry Drury, the nonprofit’s executive director.
Ray Espinosa, the county administrative officer, called the Tuesday meeting to discuss options. He could not be reached immediately for comment.
Drury said the nonprofit has been renting the two- to three-acre site for $1 a year while Espinosa argued the organization has had use of the site free of charge for more than 30 years.
The nonprofit has located another potential site for its center in San Benito County but would not give the details of the location at this time, since the agreement is not final, Drury said. The executive director plans to submit a formal written request asking the county for a 24-month window to move the existing center to a new location, since permits for a center take nine months “if everything goes right,” Drury said.
Espinosa will take the matter to the county supervisors for discussion in closed session during their regularly scheduled March 3 meeting and the item could go to the board for a public vote as early as March 17, according to Drury.
