Port Moody will study feasibility of new day care at city hall

Port Moody will study the cost and feasibility of constructing a new childcare facility in a modular building behind city hall.

The facility will offer 37 spaces for the children of city staff, although unclaimed spaces would be available to the general public as well.

Project coordinator Linda Santos told council’s strategic priorities committee on Tuesday, Sept. 9, using a modular building for the daycare is the cheapest, quickest to construct and least intrusive of several options considered.

Those include construction of a brand new building next to the amphitheatre behind city hall, placing a modular structure on Knowles Street which would be permanently closed and building a new childcare space on the roof of the recreation centre’s physio office and skate shop.

Staff also looked at adding a second floor to the library or repurposing the recreation centre’s wellness room.

Santos said all of those had considerable downsides, including expense, loss of public access to some existing amenities like the amphitheatre or a playground in front of the ice arena, and the inconvenience of closing Knowles Street.

Santos added even the preferred modular structure would mean the loss of some staff parking spaces.

But city manager Anna Mathewson said alternatives could be arranged, like opening up surplus parking spaces at the Inlet Centre fire hall.

Mayor Meghan Lahti said a childcare facility would “be a positive addition to the city hall precinct,” while Coun. Diana Dilworth said a modular structure would address an immediate need.

“A temporary modular facility gets us that needed daycare in the very short term for the very lowest expense.”

Coun. Kyla Knowles said though a temporary structure “makes the most sense,” she cautioned the city also has to keep its eye on the long term picture so childcare spaces are considered as part of upgrades to existing civic facilities and the construction of new ones.