2 Groups Seek K21 Funds In Webster; Church Honored
November 13, 2019 at 1:43 a.m.
2 Groups Seek K21 Funds In Webster; Church Honored
By Deb McAuliffe Sprong-
Representatives from Milestones Early Education Center presented a plan to the council on Tuesday for moving Milestones into the old library space at North Webster Community Center.
Heather Coy, president of the Milestones Board of Directors, said the program’s current facility is deteriorating and there isn’t enough space to meet community child care needs. In particular, she said the facility cannot offer infant care, but moving into the community center would enable Milestones to have two classes of infant care.
In addition, she said an early childhood facility would give the group more opportunities for grants.
Nichole Rouchaed, the Milestones board’s vice president, said the group had approached K21 about possible funding, but the foundation was concerned because Milestones has no room to expand. Plumbing was among other issues cited.
If Milestones is able to expand, Rouchaed said, the group could almost triple its capacity. With the space available at the community center, the group would be able to offer “lots of health and wellness opportunities,” she said.
Greg Wagoner, board president for the community center, and Kara Dobbins, the community center director, spoke in support of Milestones moving into the center. Dobbins said it would be a “great fit” to have day care at the community center, and would enable the center to offer more programming.
Rouchaed said Milestones is still putting bids together for converting space in the community center into classrooms, but the cost could run to ”several hundred thousand.”
Up to $200,000 is available from the K21 Health Foundation to promote health and wellness in each of nine communities in Kosciusko County.
Council President Lisa Strombeck had a second proposal for funding from the North Webster Library. The library would like to add food and cooking programs for tweens and teens to teach nutritional basics and would need equipment for a teaching kitchen.
The library would also like to purchase Xbox and Wii consoles so it could sponsor group fitness activities.
The library is requesting a total of $10,000 in grant funding to add these activities to its programming.
The town council will meet on Dec. 5 to discuss the process for how the grant funds might be allocated.
Also during the meeting, the council honored Town Marshal Greg Church for 25 years of service.
“The town of North Webster is certainly blessed to have someone like you working for us,” said Clerk-Treasurer Betsy Luce, among the many who praised Church during the meeting.
In other business:
• Church said the police department, through K21, was able to buy four new automated external defibrillators, one for each police car. The AEDs the police department had “were extremely old,” Church said.
“I hope we never have to use them, but if we do, we have them,” he added later.
• The Christmas tree lighting is planned for 6 p.m. Nov. 23 on the lawn at Pilcher’s Shoes. In addition to the tree lighting, a nativity, Santa and his elves, and reindeer will be on display, said Martha Stoelting of the North Webster Chamber of Commerce.
The town council will meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 17 in the North Webster Community Center. The council is also planning an end-of-year meeting for Dec. 19.
Representatives from Milestones Early Education Center presented a plan to the council on Tuesday for moving Milestones into the old library space at North Webster Community Center.
Heather Coy, president of the Milestones Board of Directors, said the program’s current facility is deteriorating and there isn’t enough space to meet community child care needs. In particular, she said the facility cannot offer infant care, but moving into the community center would enable Milestones to have two classes of infant care.
In addition, she said an early childhood facility would give the group more opportunities for grants.
Nichole Rouchaed, the Milestones board’s vice president, said the group had approached K21 about possible funding, but the foundation was concerned because Milestones has no room to expand. Plumbing was among other issues cited.
If Milestones is able to expand, Rouchaed said, the group could almost triple its capacity. With the space available at the community center, the group would be able to offer “lots of health and wellness opportunities,” she said.
Greg Wagoner, board president for the community center, and Kara Dobbins, the community center director, spoke in support of Milestones moving into the center. Dobbins said it would be a “great fit” to have day care at the community center, and would enable the center to offer more programming.
Rouchaed said Milestones is still putting bids together for converting space in the community center into classrooms, but the cost could run to ”several hundred thousand.”
Up to $200,000 is available from the K21 Health Foundation to promote health and wellness in each of nine communities in Kosciusko County.
Council President Lisa Strombeck had a second proposal for funding from the North Webster Library. The library would like to add food and cooking programs for tweens and teens to teach nutritional basics and would need equipment for a teaching kitchen.
The library would also like to purchase Xbox and Wii consoles so it could sponsor group fitness activities.
The library is requesting a total of $10,000 in grant funding to add these activities to its programming.
The town council will meet on Dec. 5 to discuss the process for how the grant funds might be allocated.
Also during the meeting, the council honored Town Marshal Greg Church for 25 years of service.
“The town of North Webster is certainly blessed to have someone like you working for us,” said Clerk-Treasurer Betsy Luce, among the many who praised Church during the meeting.
In other business:
• Church said the police department, through K21, was able to buy four new automated external defibrillators, one for each police car. The AEDs the police department had “were extremely old,” Church said.
“I hope we never have to use them, but if we do, we have them,” he added later.
• The Christmas tree lighting is planned for 6 p.m. Nov. 23 on the lawn at Pilcher’s Shoes. In addition to the tree lighting, a nativity, Santa and his elves, and reindeer will be on display, said Martha Stoelting of the North Webster Chamber of Commerce.
The town council will meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 17 in the North Webster Community Center. The council is also planning an end-of-year meeting for Dec. 19.
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