Riverview Expansion Initiative seeks $6.5 million for proposed new center

—Submitted image

Architectural rendering shows the exterior of the proposed new Riverview Early Childhood Care Center.

WEBSTER CITY — The board of directors at Riverview Early Childhood Center in Webster City has launched a $6.5 million fundraising campaign to replace the center’s current home with a new, state-of-the-art structure.

The current center is located at 705 Odell Street and is housed in a former elementary school building built in 1956.

The new building will be built atop a hill known locally as Hospital Hill, the vacant site of the former Hamilton Hospital at Ohio and Des Moines streets.

Supporters say it is time to replace the old facility with a new building, not only for safety and maintenance reasons, but also because it would greatly expand the capacity for services at Riverview Early Childhood Center.

“There has been a waiting list at Riverview for many years” Doug Getter of Webster City said. Getter serves as a fundraising consultant for nonprofits.

“This year it is about 62” he said. “In 2015, the average daily attendance at the school was 70 students, of whom 50 were on the waiting list.”

The average attendance is currently 95 people per day. The center accepts children from birth to 12 years of age.

Getter said access to good child care is a key element of a community’s economic success.

“Our employers still complain about the lack of workers” he said. “Most families now have at least two or more income households. Childcare is therefore becoming a dominant factor for both families and employers.”

Riverview board member Janet Adams added: “And could I just say that it’s high-quality, reliable childcare, right? Because we hear parents say, ‘I thought I had childcare, but this person called this morning…’ So we always have good-quality, reliable childcare.”

Ottie Maxey, director of economic development at Ames Regional Economic Development Alliance, emphasized the impact that access to quality child care can have on a community.

“Quality child care and preschool are a critical need not only in Webster City, but throughout the state. Beyond the obvious issue of ensuring children are ready for kindergarten, quality child care is essential for economic development. Existing businesses and industries rely on excellent, accessible child care to recruit and retain a great workforce.

“Furthermore, potential employers considering locating in the region are factoring childcare into their decision-making process. The Riverview project is an asset that enhances Webster City and makes it attractive to businesses and industries relocating to our region.”

Two years ago, the board hired First Children’s Finance of West Des Moines to help Riverview evaluate its future. The company developed a business plan with Riverview’s board.

According to Getter, this plan assumes that there is “urgent need for child care.”

According to 2020 census estimates, there were 940 children between the ages of 0 and 9 living in Webster City, as well as 643 children between the ages of 10 and 14. According to First Children’s Executive Summary for the Riverview Board, most parents in these households worked.

“As of November 2022” First Children’s said “there were nine (9) DHS (Iowa Department of Human Services) regulated programs with 403 beds in Webster City and only 284 of those beds were designated for 24-hour care.”

Riverview began as a child care center in 1988, eventually taking over an elementary school site from the Webster City Community School District. The facility is 68 years old, Getter noted. It has no sprinkler system and no adequate tornado shelter.

“The new centre is extremely important not only for parents who want to provide their children with a safe environment, but also for those who want to provide them with a safe environment to live and work in.” he said.

The initial 18,480-square-foot design would house 168 children, according to a proposal by Atura, a Clear Lake-based architectural firm with experience in creating early childhood education centers.

The proposed building would cost $6 million. Another $500,000 would fund construction of equipment and furnishings.

The Riverview Initiative hopes to raise the money from both private and public sources, with the goal of securing half of the needed funds by the end of the current calendar year. The proposal calls for construction of the facility by 2025 and 2026, with an August 2026 opening.

Once fully operational, the project envisages increasing staff numbers to 45 or more.

Moreover, its supporters say, the six-acre site provides room for expansion — though not within the historic, popular Hospital Hill toboggan run.

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