Delays may halt child care program

Modifications in plans for the new Northdale Community Center place an after-school program in jeopardy.

By LOGAN D. MABE

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 16, 2000

NORTHDALE -- Delays in finishing the Northdale Community Center could jeopardize a county after-school program that was supposed to be based there when school opens in August.

County Parks and Recreation officials had hoped to open the center this month. But construction slowed over the summer, and the opening date was pushed back to Aug. 1. That date still would have allowed time for the after-school staff to have the program ready by Aug. 9, the first day of school.

But further delays have pushed the center's completion back another 30 days.

"We're in a big debate now about our after-school program," said Lois Kessler, a recreation department section manager. "We're having a meeting next week where we'll make the decision."

Kessler said there are several options. If the building is ready by Aug. 9 and gets a certificate of occupancy, the staff could move ahead and start the after-school program while contractors complete the landscaping and playground work.

Another option is to start the camp at another location, most likely Northlakes Park, for the first several weeks of school until the Northdale center is completed.

"If we get the certificate of occupancy, we could use the existing playground. But what I'm concerned about is the road situation," Kessler said.

Project manager Jim Carver said turn lanes will have to be added at Northdale Boulevard and Spring Place, and the county Public Works Department has yet to tackle that problem.

Also, the builder on the job, Michael G. Young Contractors, has quite a bit of landscaping to do before the center will be complete. Now, the building sits amid a patch of fast-growing weeds.

"Inside, we're looking good," Carver said. "We've got air conditioning in there and quite a bit of the flooring done. We're also putting in some carpeting and wainscoating that will go up next week."

Carver said the contractor had been running close to schedule, but modifications and additional work requests resulted in the delays.

"One of the reasons for additional requirements was, the activity level is projected to increase over what the original concept had been," Carver said.

Kessler said she's already been contacted by 17 groups that want to use the center for meeting space, and the supervisor of elections office is interested in making it a polling place.

- To reach Logan D. Mabe, call 226-3464 or e-mail him at mabe@sptimes.com.

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