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October 19, 1999
EduCare closing Dec. 31By GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- After 12 years of providing licensed child-care services, EduCare will close Dec. 31. EduCare, which is administered by New Ulm Area Catholic Schools, has been housed in the former St. Mary's Convent at 527 S. Minnesota St. for the past 10 years. Although originally scheduled to close by June 2000, the NUACS Board voted last week to close the facility as early as Dec. 31. The decision adds to the current shortage of licensed day-care facilities in New Ulm. "We have known for a couple of years now that the availability of the building, and our usage of it, would come to an end," NUACS Superintendent Dave Schieffert said. "Since that time, we have been looking for an alternate facility." NUACS ran into difficulty with finding an alternative site. Officials failed to find a reasonably-priced building or a site that could be brought up to code for use as a day-care center without considerable expenditures. "We had already established June 2000 as the end of the final year in the building," Schieffert said. "We just decided it was in the best interest of the parents to not keep them in limbo and close in December." EduCare, although self-supporting, was a service provided by NUACS. It was opened in 1987 in the Holy Trinity Middle School, but the program was moved to the convent 10 years ago, Schieffert said. "What we were left with was the option of building a new facility or remodeling an existing one for use as a day-care center, and that is something we simply cannot afford to do," he said. "We have been fortunate to have the convent building for the past 10 years." NUACS has been hoping to initiate contact with an independent contractor that would be willing to set up an independent day-care center, but that has not become a reality, he said. "Closing this facility will add to the day care shortage, but we are not anticipating being able to provide this service in the immediate future," Schieffert said. The EduCare center, although serving approximately 125 children, is licensed for 79 children per day. It provides full-day programs for preschool children and after-school care for older children. "The closure of EduCare will definitely have an impact on the community," Brown County Family Services spokesperson Barb Dietz said. "Something like this won't just impact the children and the parents. Without a doubt, It impacts the entire community." EduCare parents are left with very few options because there is already a shortage of licensed centers in New Ulm, and EduCare is the only state-licensed center in New Ulm, Dietz said. "There really aren't that many options, because these aren't infants we are talking about, which makes a difference, as well," she said. "We are still exploring options. This is a community issue." EduCare Director Kelli Stueber said that the fight will continue to obtain funding for another facility. There are 15 staff members who will be affected by the closure of EduCare. When St. Anthony's School opened at the beginning of the school year, the parish transferred ownership of St. Mary's School and the convent to MetroPlains Properties, Inc., doing business as MDI Limited Partnership No. 70. The school building has been designated as a local historic landmark, so no changes to the outside of the structure can be made. The new owners plan to rehabilitate the property into 31 residential units for senior citizens at a cost of $2,852,682. The proposal calls for 25 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units. When plans for the project were originally submitted, 38 units were planned in both buildings, but the developer failed to get approval for tax credit financing through the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. The application was rejected because officials believed the community could not support a project of that size. Although the convent building, which houses EduCare, was not included in the final proposal, MDI will purchase the building. As part of the project, the parish received $7,000 for expenses involved in the transfer and the city will contribute $200,000 for the project, which consists of tax increment financing and a low-interest loan of $85,000. NUACS discussed the possibility of the developer leasing the building for a period of time if there were no immediate plans for its use, but negotiations were up in the air, Schieffert said.
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