BROOKINGS — An initiative to expand childcare options in Brookings received a boost Tuesday night when the Brookings City Council voted 7-0 to redirect $580,000 in existing funds to the push being undertaken by the Brookings Child Care Collaborative.

The funds had been previously designated to the Brookings Economic Development Corp. for a potential 80-slot childcare facility. That money will now go toward a plan involving the BEDC, the Brookings Boys & Girls Club and the Brookings School District that, together, will provide continuous care slots for approximately 360 children in the birth-to-5-year-old range. The breakdown includes 130 slots at the club for kids age 0-3, and up to 230 slots for 4- and 5-year-old kids via the school district’s new pre-kindergarten program.

“I just wanted to thank you for considering this change,” Tim Reed, CEO of the Brookings Economic Development Corp., said. “It really is a win-win. We’re going to get more child-care slots than was originally planned with how we’d use the funds to create a new center. Also, the other kind of win-win of these wins is that we’re going to improve early learning here in Brookings.

“I think we really got something special here when we have the organizations with the BEDC, the school district and the Boys & Girls Club coming together,” Reed added. “Especially the school district and Boys & Girls Club coming together, sharing their assets, is what makes this a sustainable plan.”

He continued, “I lead a statewide childcare task force, and one of the main issues is sustainability. With these two organizations coming together, we’re going to have a very sustainable childcare increase, early learning increase — and the best part of it, I think, is that we’ll also have coverage from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for those parents that need it for work.”

Council members conveyed their support for the project, which, per earlier reporting, hopes to be fully rolling no later than summer 2025.

“Thanks to the partners in this project — it’s really exciting to see this moving forward,” Councilor Holly Tilton Byrne said. “I think when the council initially identified this $580,000 for childcare initiatives, I don’t think we really had a vision quite this big. To see the impact that really is going to happen is really motivating for everyone in the community and I’m just really proud of what this community has done to come together and take a step forward and solving this problem.”

The prospect of more childcare options also brightened Mayor Oepke “Ope” Niemeyer’s day.

“I’m excited to see what the future looks like,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a pretty good deal. I know some of my family members are pretty excited that we might have more grandchildren that might be able to be part of this.”

In other business at Tuesday night’s meeting, councilors:

• Agreed, on a 7-0 vote, to a slight change in the renovation work that’s underway at the Pioneer Park Bandshell. It’ll cost an extra $8,192.56 to restore the front façade to its original “scalloped”  architectural design.

“During the construction or restoration of the bandshell, when the demo occurred of the brick facade in the front, it was discovered that there was scalloping, or fluting, underneath, which is a really cool feature and we wanted to embrace that,” Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director Kristin Zimmerman said.

The scalloping is original to the 1936 construction of the bandshell, per information from a city memo. Zimmerman also noted that the extra costs will be covered from within the department’s operating budget.

• On a 7-0 vote, supported leasing property at Brookings Regional Airport to Altitude Investments. A new, 12,000-square-foot hangar will be built on the land by the firm, whose representative said it will be approximately half owner-occupied, with the other half available for short- or long-term leasing.

The rep pointed out that the hangar’s amenities will include a lounge, offices, bathrooms, heat and 6,314 square feet of dedicated parking.

• Agreed to a recommendation to name 12 people, on a 7-0 vote, to the City Charter Review Commission. They are Jeanne Manzer, Dianne Nagy, Lisa Hager, Gail Robertson, Tom Yseth, Lynn Darnell, Roger Solum, Keith Corbett, David Gilbertson, Ashley Ragsdale, Van Fishback and Bob Burns.

The charter was last reviewed on an informal basis in 2010-11, with no changes being made at that time.

— Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@brookingsregister.com.