The Tri-County Head Start relocation project inched forward last week when Durango City Council approved a lease agreement between the city and Tri-County Head Start.
Per the lease agreement, which will be considered for final approval at City Council’s Sept. 17 meeting, Head Start would pay $1,200 annually over a 30-year period.
Head Start is in dire need of a new facility, and when the city issued a request for qualifications and letters of interest for development of a city-owned parking lot near Durango Public Library at 1917 East Third Ave., the early childhood learning center leapt at the opportunity.
The city received two other letters of interest, one for a community garden by the Durango Botanic Gardens and another for 15-30 homes called the 1917 Lofts by architect Richard Feeney and contractors Erica and Jeffrey Max.
Some residents of the neighborhoods surrounding the library were hoping the community garden proposal would be picked for further pursuit by the city. It wasn’t. But what really agitated residents was a perceived unfairness and lack of transparency by the city in selecting a project.
The Head Start proposal contained two elements: the relocation of Head Start to the parking lot at 1917 East Third Ave. and building a couple dozen or so workforce housing units at Head Start’s current address at 2019 East Third Ave.
Residents said those elements are separate proposals and should be treated as such, with separate processes.
After several public meetings, including one at the parking lot in question, the city agreed to separate the projects.
But some residents were left wondering how the Head Start relocation would affect traffic flow, given the new building would about double the capacity of children it can serve, and thus in theory the number of parents driving through the neighborhood to drop off and pick up children.
Mary Finley, resident of 404 East Park Ave., said she is excited for the new Head Start development, which has yet to be formally approved, but wants to see a parking and traffic flow plan.
“I’m absolutely not saying let’s not do Head Start, but I am saying let’s talk parking. Phew, boring, right? But really important,” she said.
She said a lot of people are using the library and nearby trails, and parking spaces dwindle as a result.
Residents have asked for a parking plan but haven’t received one, she said.
Lily Oswald, with Durango’s Community Development Department, said a planned development agreement called the Mercy Medical Planned Development that was finalized after years of negotiations includes the Head Start facility, the Fassbinder professional complex south of the library, a parking lot adjacent to the library and a larger parking lot and the Riverside professional complex to the north.
Part of the agreement included a shared parking commitment requiring at least 319 defined and committed parking spaces among the library and other sites.
“There are a total of 337 spaces provided to be remaining as a result of this proposed concept,” Oswald said.
She said when the housing units at Head Start’s current location were still part of the proposal, the city was exploring different parking options because those units would remove 42 spaces. Now that that proposal has been separated from Head Start’s proposal, no changes to parking are needed.
She spoke to residents’ concerns about the city’s proposal selection process too. She said the city’s request for proposals was public and any child care centers that wanted to submit a proposal were welcome.
“We didn’t anticipate who would be submitting bids and it resulted in Tri-County submitting a bid. It was open to any other child care providing that sort of use on the city-owned property,” she said.
Lisa Stone, Head Start’s executive director, said Reynolds Ash + Associates, an architecture and engineering firm attached to its proposal, was an ideal partner because of its previous experience designing child care centers and was the only local firm to return a bid.
“The new design of the proposed building is based on best practices in early childhood, and is first and foremost focused on safety and security. It is a single story building with five classrooms and playgrounds,” she said.
One additional room reserved for gross motor play to keep children physically active during inclement weather can also be converted into a classroom if the demand is there, she said.
Head Start identified needs for Durango and Cortez buildings in 2022, she said. Head Start receives 80% of funding from the Office of Head Start under the federal Administration for Children & Families and 20% of funding from in-kind donations, contributions and state sources. The city’s reduced lease rate also counts toward a funding match, she said.
“Since the 1970s, over 15,000 children have been served and supported through Tri-County Head Start in La Plata County, Montezuma County and Archuleta County,” she said. “... In La Plata County, which includes our Durango North Head Start, 90% of the families that we serve are at the poverty level or below. The other 10% that we serve have qualifying factors such as food insecurity, lack of reliable transportation, domestic violence. And 30% of our families are single-parent households.”
If a new Head Start facility is built at 1917 East Third Ave. it may serve 60 to 90 children, depending on community needs.
“If there’s a high need for preschool, the center can serve 90 children. If there’s a community demand for toddlers and preschoolers, the center will serve around 60 children,” she said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
