The Southeast Iowa Regional and Economic Port Authority, or SIREPA, is one step closer to helping bring a much-needed childcare center to Lee County.
During its meeting Monday, the board voted unanimously to move ahead with requests for qualifications for architectural and engineering design services for a proposed stand-alone childcare center near Montrose.
The project is backed by a one-million-dollar Community Facilities grant secured through a Congressional appropriation by Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Officials are also exploring additional funding, including up to $600,000 through a Community Development Block Grant, along with possible support from local foundations and financing.
Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission Administrator Mike Norris, who also serves as SIREPA’s administrator, outlined a two-and-a-half-year timeline for the project. He says the group expects to receive contracts for the federal funding by the end of July.
Originally, plans called for the childcare center to be built into the existing SIREPA building, but that changed after the federal grant came in at one million dollars instead of the two million requested. The board is now planning for a separate building on the property.
Norris says the next steps include hiring design professionals, completing an environmental review, and meeting federal Build America, Buy America requirements. Because the grant is reimbursement-based, SIREPA will likely need a line of credit to cover upfront costs.
The exact location on the property has not been finalized, but officials say the goal is to minimize concrete costs and avoid disrupting truck traffic for existing businesses on site.
SIREPA is also working with the Lee County Economic Development Group to eventually identify an operator for the childcare center. If all goes according to plan, construction could wrap up by the summer of 2029.