Commissioners Bryan and Watts oppose childcare center on Port land

DAYTON–Port of Columbia Commissioners Seth Bryan and Johnny Watts oppose siting a proposed grant-funded daycare center on Port property at a meeting where those speaking for and against were passionate about their positions, all discussed at the first hybrid meeting held since COVID hit two years ago this week. Some 50 attended online and a dozen attended in-person March 10.

Most of the two-hour meeting discussed the proposed lease of Port land at Blue Mountain Station for a $2 million grant-funded constructed daycare facility. The Walla Walla Community Council had to postpone its presentation on housing and other agenda items were briefly discussed.

The Columbia County Health System (CCHS) is applying for grants to fund the construction or purchase of a daycare building that would be operated by the Walla Walla YWCA. The committee of stakeholders is facing challenges in finding a suitable location. Besides the Port property, other locations considered included the historic First Christian Church just across from the school, empty Seneca migrant buildings and new construction on city-owned land.

Each location has concerns, discussion showed. The church needs an expensive roof replacement and the committee hesitates recommending demolishing the historic building to build the new center. The Seneca buildings were deemed unsuitable and the City land poses a risk for funding because of it being in the flood plain. Those sites may need to be revisited and others considered after Bryan and Watts informally opposed the bare land lease proposal for the project.

Public comments were mixed in terms of support and opposition. Comments in support expressed the need for the project to move forward because of how the lack of daycare in the community affects worker productivity, the creation and the filling of jobs and economic growth in that people will not move here to work or open a business where childcare is in short supply. Parents Dale Slack and wife Amy Rosenberg both commented on how lack of childcare affects their ability, as well as those in his office with young kids, to work.

Charles Amerein wrote in a letter that was read that the lack of daycare is a state-created problem because of overregulation forcing private daycares to close. Amerein "found it ironic" the project chose a state-sponsored program to help solve this problem. He suggested that those concerned should focus on repealing legislation allowing overregulation. He opposes "this attempt at state control over the formative years our children's lives and the use of public funds to do so." He suggested instead of using public funds to seek funds from "leftist oligarchs who... send their puppets in rural Washington to create youth indoctrination centers."

Community member Vicki Zoller answered that the YWCA provides a safe environment and without regulations, child care can be unsafe.

Dayton resident Seth Murdock objected to the center being government funded and to the YWCA operating it because their national motto states their purpose is for eliminating racism and empowering women. He acknowledged these as noble ideas, but believes they overemphasize victimization which is not appropriate to be put into the minds of children. "I don't want my tax dollars going to it," Murdock said.

"What makes a daycare better than a parent?" asked resident Kraig Horlacher. "I keep hearing the daycare is better than parents." Horlacher spoke of his own experience with his wife, home with the kids, living on a single income. The financial struggle parents face, Horlacher said, needs to be addressed. He's not in support of government involvement, but can support anything else.

Other comments of support and opposition were voiced before Bette Lou Crothers presented on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, asking "Why not have the daycare on Port property? The Economic Development Steering Committee, made up of local stakeholders and business owners, voted childcare as one of the top three lead projects for the county." She said there are 340 kids under the age of eight. The daycare would be a new business to create jobs, taxes and services and provide local businesses with a reliable workforce.

Commissioners Bryan and Watts rejected the idea that the lack of daycare is a Port concern, and thought the Port's focus should be recruiting and building private business to build its tax base.

When Chairperson Genie Crowe proposed the Commission delay taking action to address community concerns and questions, Watts responded that he spent the last month reviewing the project and talking with the public and didn't want to "kick the can down the road."

Watts thinks those invested deserve a quick response so they can move forward with the grant application. He shared his findings and expressed concern that daycare licensing in the future could be contingent on fulfilling certain requirements from the government on how to operate and what to teach and that it could be turned into another Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) as had been noted in the project plan as a possibility in the future.

Watts was concered about the YWCA operating the center. "We would be a partner with whoever we lease with," he said. "I want to make sure the people we partner with are absolutely with the values that we're looking for. They have done amazing things throughout the world and locally, they're wonderful people but, nationally, take a look at what they stand for. Take a look at the bills they've been supporting or not supporting at the federal and state levels. That's what they stand for, whether it's gun control, whether it's systemic racism.

"You change the name because it's no longer Christianity in the name – Christian," Watts said. "It doesn't suit your needs any more so you change your name to the Y or the YWCA because government entities like to give out more money to those that don't have that Christian name.

"If [the YWCA] started that way 150 years ago, have the courage to stand with it," he said. "So I have concerns about the operator in this community."

Another of Watts's concerns was about location for the safety of kids and those traveling on the road and turning off there. Watts said the Port has limited property and if they would consider the lease, it should be at the going rate. He wants to find a solution and would like [the Port] to be involved, but not in the capacity of the Port.

Commissioner Bryan acknowledged the various comments in support of the center, including how it will enable some people to get to their jobs, but he opposed the idea that the center itself would be providing many living wage jobs. "It's not my idea of economic development," he said.

"I have taken all of the information and have run it through the Port's mission statement," Bryan said. Specifically, he mentioned the Port's role to maximize resources. Bryan argued that daycare is not infrastructure and that people are redefining it to fit their needs that do not equate to other types infrastructure like roads, but is more comparable to grocery stores and gas stations which is not infrastructure.

That kind of thinking contributes to the idea of the community being in a "childcare desert" and added, "The community isn't going to shrivel up and die because it doesn't have a daycare. People aren't going to move away and never come back because of lack of childcare."

Bryan said the daycare facility doesn't fit the plan for the Blue Mountain Station as a manufacturing facility. He acknowledged that some say it is the best location for the daycare, but said that the daycare being located there is not the best for the Port.

He emphasized that "the Port's role in economic development as it relates to children should be identifying and recruiting private businesses willing to operate, and finding resources and solutions to the hurdles and regulatory issues preventing private industry from filling the void."

Blue Mountain Station's purpose, Bryan stated, is for promoting commercial business that creates living-wage jobs and brings money back into the community. He then challenged the community to do the hard work of opening and running a daycare.

Bryan later expressed concern about the future of the center possibly acquiring the ECEAP program. "You're going to take State money and you're going to follow the program and follow the State curriculum," he said, "and we've already seen what they've been doing with the sex education of our schools and our grade schools. I'm not okay with them trickling that down into our daycares and our infants and children."

Hospital District CEO Shane McGuire suggested holding a community workshop forum to provide information about the proposed project. Bryan answered, "I think there is an advantage to the community for a workshop because we still need a daycare, whether it's on Port property or not. I took some time and met with Paul Ihle [head of the project committee] and I met with Shane, and this project is going to go forward. They are property shopping now."

Chairperson Genie Crowe voiced her support for the project on Port property to say that it's needed infrastructure. As for government involvement, as a tax-paying community, government is a part of life, she said. Crowe pointed out that only about a third of the Port property is being currently used and there are no other proposed projects for use of the property.

Port Executive Director Jennie Dickinson added that the project would take just over a half acre with the lessee constructing the building. Typically, bare-land lessees have a long lease to recoup investment so the term would be for 50 years, she said. She thought they would offer reduced rent of about $100/month, but to curtail opposition of it being viewed as a subsidy they could charge full rate. The lessee would construct the building which would be held by them during the term of the lease but it would be given over to Port at the termination of the lease. Dickinson stated the daycare would not be state run and stated that all Port businesses have benefited from public investment.

Throughout the meeting, public comments were made by Zoom chat and one was allowed at the end of the discussion expressing opposition to Commissioners Watts and Bryan, criticizing them for not limiting their discussion of the issue of whether to lease the land or not, but "pontificating" their moral values, accusing them of using their government position to force their ideas on the community.