BY MIKE WARREN

EDITOR

SPENCER – Additional childcare offerings are coming soon to Spencer.

School district officials and others joined the Boson Company of Marshfield for an Aug. 29 groundbreaking ceremony for an addition to the south end of Spencer Elementary, which houses the “Rookie Rockets.”

“We received FEMA grant money for the dome project,” said District Administrator Mike Endreas. “At the time of our last submittal for FEMA grant funds, we met obligations over the amount we were required to receive, so in fiscal year 2018 FEMA rewards Wisconsin Emergency Management a pot of money to fund those projects. In that fiscal year 2018, some people didn’t take the grant money. They decided not to do their projects,” Endreas explained. “Because we met obligations over what we had money for, we resubmitted for reimbursement and we received a check for $517,000. So at that time the (school) board discussed, ‘What should we do with this money?’ Our interest load on our current loan for the dome project was very low. Made no sense to pay off that interest. We had always talked about expanding our ‘Rookie Rocket’. We have a day care center before and after school and full day for three- and four-year-olds in our building here now. We always talked about expanding that program, so with that $517,000 we used that as seed money.”

The total cost of the infant care center addition will be $1.4 million.

“It’s going to be a facility that has one room for toddlers and one room for infants, so two different age groups,” said Boson Project Manager Nick Anderson. “We will be coming off of one of the existing corridors,” Anderson added. “Plans are being reviewed by the state as we speak. We could do some ground work, like site utilities and relocation of some of the existing structures, like the pavilion and sandboxes. We wanna be done early next year,” according to Anderson.

Endreas said the new “Rookie Rockets” wing should allow for the addition of 15-20 kids in the day care program.

“A huge need. We all know. We see the news. We watch the need for daycare,” said Endreas. “Our priority is going to go to our community and our staff first. If anybody applies and needs a spot outside of our community they’ll be put on a waiting list.”

Construction is expected to be completed in February.