KEARNEY — The Kearney city council gave the green light to Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska, which is seeking to build a new early Head Start facility, during their meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Meredith Collins, CCAP, Chief Executive Officer of Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska, appeared and said they were seeking to rezone the vacant lot south of 1023 Ave F to allow for the construction of a new Early Head Start Facility.
“The goal of the Early Head Start program is to strengthen children, families and communities through quality education, comprehensive health and family services and by fostering community partnerships. Early Head Start serves children ages 0-3 years old,” according to Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska.
Collins said that they currently serve 32 children at their current space, which is rented and in an industrial area of the community. She later noted they have 20 children on their waiting list.
Collins said that they have used their current Head Start facility for the past four years and have now secured the funding to build a new facility located on the agency property behind their current Head Start and WIC building and adjacent to their RYDE transit facility.
The total capacity of the new facility will allow for 48 children. Collins did note that they will have to get additional funding for more staff to care for the total capacity.
The new facility would feature four classrooms, two for infants, two for toddlers.
Collins noted they have been awarded a $2.6 million grant from the Office of Head Start in Sept. 2024 for the construction of the new facility.
The agency is seeking to rezone the vacant lot from R3 residential to C-0, office district.
The Kearney Planning Commission had given their approval for the rezone and the city council voted their approval as well.
During the consent agenda ordinance period, the council made some revisions to the city code involving food trucks.
Changes were made to ensure that food trucks do not have an unfair advantage over brick-and-mortar restaurants when it comes to assessing city and state taxes, council member Jonathan Nikkila noted after the meeting in a social media update.
The other change addresses food trucks operating in the downtown area through partnerships with different businesses. The change ensures there is some cost for food trucks to reflect the work that it takes to close downtown parking and to off set taxes that brick and mortar businesses are paying to maintain the downtown environment, Nikkila noted.
