(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors have tentatively approved the use of ARPA (Covid relief/recovery) funds to help cover the cost of repairs to the Hitchcock House Foundation. They will actually have that as an action item on their agenda next week, since it was only for discussion during their meeting today (Tuesday). Because of the amount of deterioration of the basement wall, the Hitchcock House stopped offering tours of the building on July 23rd. Hitchcock House Board Chair Sharon-Guffey-Lewis said with the repairs to the wall complete,they hope to re-open this historic structure for tours, May 1st, 2024.

Last July, Guffey-Lewis told the Board the cost estimate of the project was $72,000, with a down payment of $22,000 required. During Tuesday’s (Today’s) meeting of the Board, Guffey-Lewis said the project is finished, but they still owe nearly $48,000 to the contractor, since it came in $18,000 over budget. They have received $8,000 in donations, and have used money from the endowment fund, to pay the contractor.

The Hitchcock House Board, she says, intends to cover the costs of interior repairs to the drywall and floors, through grants and donations. In other business, the Cass County Supervisors discussed, but took no action on the subject of childcare operating budgets, the impact on economic development, and the County’s possible role in subsidizing those endeavors. Board Chair Steve Baier spoke about a forum held in Atlantic on Nov. 1st, that dealt with the childcare desert topic.

During the forum, it was noted Cass County has a shortfall of 1,184 spaces, 48-percent of childcare businesses have been lost in the last ten years, and 11-percent in the last five years. Baier says he wanted to add the discussion item to the Supervisors’ agenda, because of what the City of Atlantic did to help the Ann W. Wickman Childcare Development Center.

For years, the City of Atlantic had donated $15,000 annually, for the Ann W. Wickman Childcare Development Center. Supervisor Mark O’Brien asked “Where does this stop?” with regard to public funds being used for non-profit daycare centers, while privately operated centers rely don’t receive any funds except those from the parents/guardians who send their children to those centers. Supervisor Wendy Richter said “We have to be very careful in who we help out,” especially in light of the hours the Wickman Center operates.

Steve Baier suggested the County could avoid using taxpayer monies by using funds derived from interest growth in the Valley Business Fund for economic development. He concluded by saying young people are leaving the County because they can’t find things like childcare that they can find in larger cities.