BEECHWORTH Community Early Years Learning Centre and Beechworth Kindergarten will be ousted from its Mayday Hills site following Indigo Shire Council’s awarding of a lease to a new child service provider from January next year.
The community not-for-profit organisations have been located at the site for 25 years after a joint community venture to build facilities.
More than 100 parents and residents gathered at council's chamber, spilling into the foyer, showing their opposition to the recommendation, while more than 90 questions outlining parents’ concerns had been submitted for the meeting.
Council will be negotiating the lease with Alpine Children’s Services after accepting a recommendation to grant the lease following a comprehensive Expression of Interest (EOI) process.
Current occupants, Beechworth Community Early Year’s Learning Centre (BCEYLC) with its close to four-decade history and Beechworth Kindergarten running for 60 years will need to transition from the site by the end of the year.
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BCEYLC president Lauren Malins said both the centre and kindergarten in 1995 formed a working group to find a suitable new location with support from council for their future, with all supporting the existing location.
The working group applied for successful state and federal government funding and with community fundraising works in 1997.
“Money raised was managed by council on behalf of both organisations as a project sponsor,” Ms Malins said.
The building was handed over to council at the end of the project for insurance and maintenance purposes for major repairs such as a roof replacement with minor repairs undertaken by the both child care services, on the understanding that council was the caretaker for the current occupants.
Council has a 99-year lease on landowners.
More than 90 questions submitted by concerned parents for the meeting were split into themes by council, with 12 of them answered and the rest put on notice.
Mayor Sophie Price says the EOI process had been extremely thorough and included a representative from the Department of Education on the assessment panel.
“We will support the current occupants through the transition period and work with the new provider to ensure minimal disruption to the children and their families,” Cr Price said.
A key component in the EOI process was for providers to address how their service offering would address and significantly reduce current waiting lists.
Alpine Children’s Services will initially offer 87 places across both childcare and kindergarten and plans to significantly expand and diversify their service offering to meet the needs of local families.
Cr Price said the proposal from Alpine Children’s Services met selection criteria with a more successful outcome, while strong proposals from existing occupants had been received.
“It was a difficult decision,” she said.
Five submissions had been received for the EOI.
Established by the community, for the community, BCEYLC parents said they were shocked at the proposal to hand over the lease to Alpine Children’s Services, a provider based outside the region, which will now displace the centre.
Ms Malins said council did not provide adequate assurance the proposed provider was in the best interests of the community.
“It was also unclear with information about how the centre will be staffed, and how enrolments and the waiting list will be managed,” she said.
“Council will work with us to transition out and sit down to work out our future goals and ambitions, but It was implied there would be no real future for us.”
With a new building approved at their premises funded by the centre with a deposit paid at no cost to council, Ms Malins said their proposal for the EOI included an increase from 59 children per day to 120.
Cr Diane Shepheard had a conflict of interest and could not vote while councillors Price, Greg Bourke, Jane Dowsley and John Harvey supported the motion.
Cr Scott Landells, one of two councillors opposing the recommendation with Cr Roberta Horne, also raised concerns including a $15 per day increase in fees by the new childcare provider.
Dr Malins said BCEYLC invested money back into the centre.
“Where will the extra money be going?” she said.
The mayor said Alpine Children’s Services had not set their rates for next year which will be included in collaborative talks with parents.
Parent Paige Schweizer said council gave a generic response and didn’t address specific concerns or give direct answers.
“There’s been a lack of community consultation and community consultation is one of council’s top priorities,” she said.
“We don’t believe the process was vigorous and transparent.”
The BCEYLC board met on Wednesday night to address the outcome with Beechworth Kindergarten taking a different stance.
Kindergarten president Liana Beatson said council’s decision has been supported with the kindergarten’s intention to work with Alpine Children’s Services.
“We will continue to deliver sessional kindergarten that we have been doing for 60 years for local families, she said.
“We recognise change is hard and acknowledge challenges in the EOI process has caused concern in the community and we understand those concerns.
“Alpine Children's Services are also not for profit and have a proven track record.”
