LEBANON — Residents expressed mixed opinions about the plan to build a childcare center on school district and city-owned land on Seminary Hill at a public forum Monday.
The city and school district are in the process of negotiating a lease with the Boys & Girls Club of Central and Northern New Hampshire for land to build a childcare center. The properties include a portion of Civic Memorial Park owned by the city and a section of the lot at 20 Seminary Hill next to the SAU 88 offices.
The Boys & Girls Club plans to build a 5,400-square-foot, two-story childcare center with space for 49 children from infants to preschoolers. While the nonprofit does not plan to pay to lease the land, it will pay to build the facility.
The city and school district sought public input on a conceptual proposal Monday. About 20 people attended the meeting at the SAU 88 building.
Some residents adamantly supported the plan. For example, resident Alison Chisholm described the project as a “dream come true” and a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to start to address Lebanon’s childcare shortage.
But others continued to voice concerns about the proposed location on Seminary Hill and raised new questions about the project, including its effect on playing fields, traffic and neighbors.
Diane Marsh, who lives three streets up from the property, said in a recording of the meeting that she is opposed to the proposed location because many people play on the playgrounds and courts at Civic Memorial Park and the childcare center would disrupt that.
Marsh also said she opposes the location because Seminary Hill is treacherous on early mornings in the winter, so introducing new traffic from a childcare center would be a bad idea.
“I’m not opposed to the daycare,” Marsh said. “I am opposed to the zero dollar lease and I’m opposed to this site.”
Amy Stebbins, a neighbor who lives on neighboring Aldrich Avenue, said in a recording of the meeting that she is concerned about a plan to put overflow parking and a gravel driveway through Civic Memorial Park near areas where children play.
Stebbins said there are already issues of people driving up to fields in the park and parking in unusual areas and worried that the proposed driveway would worsen the problem.
But, city representatives hope the road and new signage will help alleviate ongoing traffic issues at the park that is used for youth sports such as soccer and baseball.
The most recent plan actually “gives some definition” for traffic and would discourage people from parking in inconvenient places such as in front of a recreation garage, Lebanon Recreation, Arts and Parks Director Paul Coats said.
“We continue to have struggles finding green space and potential ball field space, but I don’t believe that this plan prohibits us from still pursuing those needs in other places,” Coats said.
Other residents raised questions about hidden costs of the project and what responsibilities the city and school district will have for property and building maintenance during and after the lease ends.
Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Chris Emond said the nonprofit will own and operate the building and plans to pay for costs such as winter plowing and building maintenance.
The city is still negotiating the lease, including how long it will be and what responsibilities the city, school district and nonprofit might have, City Manager Andrew Hosmer added.
Others at the meeting vocally supported the project, which they said would address a severe need for childcare in Lebanon.
As of early this year, the Upper Valley had a shortage of about 3,800 available childcare slots, according to Amy Brooks, executive director of the Lebanon-based nonprofit Early Care and Education Association.
“I hope we don’t let the difficulty of those details obscure the larger and exciting opportunity,” Rebecca Owens, a Lebanon resident who also works as an associate planner for the city, said of concerns about parking, green space and traffic.
Lebanon has struggled for years with how best to use the old Seminary Hill School that closed in 2014. The childcare center would not address the question of how to use Seminary Hill School itself, but “could be a meaningful next step for activation of the property,” Owens said.
“The parcel is already public, non-tax-generating land, so the question is whether a portion of it can be used for a long-term public benefit,” Owens added.
The city has already shown some support for the project. In February, the City Council granted Hosmer permission to negotiate a lease. Then, in March elections, Lebanon voters gave the school district permission to enter a long-term lease agreement with the Boys & Girls Club, 1,568-449.
The School Board and City Council will consider residents’ feedback as they continue negotiating with the Boys & Girls Club, School Board Chairwoman Lil Maughan said at the end of the meeting.
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