The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Coulee Medical Center has “every intention” of building a daycare center for their employees, according to Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Owens.

Completion of the project is anticipated for May or June 2017, at the latest, Owens told his board of commissioners Monday night.

Owens said $10,000 to $15,000 has already gone into remodeling the old clinic’s basement for the purpose, but because of updates from city and state regulators, building a separate daycare would be “much more cost effective.”

Owens described a potential new building as “a newer, more attractive building, better suited for youngsters, with skylights and windows that children and parents would feel more comfortable with.”

The capacity of the daycare center will be based on the ages of the children, as well as the square footage of the building.

Further details are still to be sorted out, pending approval by regulators. The property CMC owns across the highway from the hospital is being looked at seriously as a potential place for a daycare center.

Property just southeast of the grain silos along SR-174 was purchased a few years ago, specifically with the idea of building a community wellness center. Advocates of this idea have long expressed the need for a public daycare.